Nassau County’s daily positivity rate for confirmed coronavirus cases was 12.7 percent as of Monday, according to the latest statistics from the state’s Department of Health.
As of Wednesday, according to the statistics, Nassau County had 249,694 cases of the coronavirus since the beginning of the pandemic, with 1,955 reported on Monday, the most up-to-date new positive cases listed on the department’s website. Nassau’s seven-day rolling average of cases as of Monday was 10.1 percent, a figure the county has not witnessed since May 2020, statistics showed.
With growing concerns about the omicron variant and upcoming holiday gatherings, Gov. Kathy Hochul once again urged everyone to wear masks and get vaccinated as quickly as possible. On Monday, Hochul outlined her plan to combat the “winter surge,” which includes the state acquiring 10 million more at-home test kits and two million tests for schools throughout the state.
Hochul said school districts in the state will remain open after hearing public concerns over having students return to a strictly virtual method.
“We believe that it’s critically important that our children not end up in that same situation they were for so many months, when they were so displaced from their normal environment, they did not get the quality of education, despite the best efforts of those incredible teachers and parents who struggled every single day alongside their children, just to deal with these circumstances we dealt with last time,” Hochul said Monday.
Town of North Hempstead Supervisor Judi Bosworth said, in a letter to the community, that all town facilities adopted Hochul’s indoor mask mandate, regardless of vaccination status. Bosworth also said she hopes the community remains cautious throughout the holiday season so that the spread of the virus can slow.
“With the Christmas holiday upon us, I am again urging that we all remain cautious and vigilant so that we do not spread the virus to those around us – our families, our friends, and our neighbors,” she said. “Please, follow necessary, common-sense precautions, and, most importantly, protect yourself and others by getting vaccinated.”
Though North Hempstead areas have a cumulative vaccination rate of nearly 90 percent, according to statistics from the state’s Department of Health, Bosworth implored residents to get their booster shots to add an extra layer of protection against the coronavirus.
“As we know, the virus is constantly evolving, which is making it increasingly clear that booster shots are necessary in order to be fully vaccinated,” Bosworth said. “An extra layer of protection would be to get COVID tests before attending a holiday gathering with your loved ones. It will just provide additional assurance.”
Recent surges of the virus have resulted in public school districts across the North Shore having more than 100 confirmed cases among students, staff and teachers since September.
As of Wednesday, more than 350 students in the Sewanhaka Central High School District had tested positive for the virus since September, according to statistics from the state’s Department of Health. Nearly 80 teachers and 30 staff members had tested positive as well. The district led the 11 school districts on the North Shore in total positive cases for students, teachers and staff.
A total of 280 confirmed cases from students in the Port Washington school district had been reported to the state since September. Additionally, 51 teachers and seven staff members have tested positive since the start of the school year.
The Great Neck school district had 157 students, 47 teachers and 13 staff members test positive since September. District officials said 13 individuals tested positive on Tuesday alone.
Other school districts that had more than 100 confirmed student cases since the start of the school year as of Wednesday included Manhasset (146), Mineola (145), Herricks (132), Roslyn (127) and Floral Park-Bellerose (103).
