Governor Hochul: "Anyone who lives in these areas and feels risk, that they're at risk of catching this virus. They should go get a booster. I want to be clear about that. If you live in a high transmission area, there is risk. If you personally feel that risk and it'd be hard to imagine anybody who doesn't, because you're among people. You're at work. You're in, sometimes in public transportation, you should be getting a booster shot now. I want to be crystal clear on that. Everybody clear on that? You got the message. Get the booster."
Earlier today at the Delavan Grider Community Center in Buffalo, Governor Kathy Hochul held a COVID-19 briefing.
VIDEO of the event is available on YouTube here.
AUDIO of the Governor's remarks is available here.
PHOTOS of the event are available on the Governor's Flickr page.
A rush transcript of the Governor's remarks is available below:
Good afternoon, Western New York. It's great to be back. And Dr. Cain, I have to say having been in the literal foxhole with you for nearly 20 months as we fought back this pandemic, day in and day out, your extraordinary leadership, not just as the Dean of the medical school here, but also as part of our COVID response from the very beginning, you just gave us that sense of calm. You answered questions professionally, you let us know we were going to be okay, and that was a profound contribution you made to this community that I care so deeply about. So let's give another round of applause to Dr. Cain for everything he's done.
That was a big foxhole, I was in it with Mark Poloncarz too. We came through a lot together. That whole era of uncertainty. The numbers going up. The restrictions. The lifting of some restrictions, and concern about where we're going. It's been a long journey, but you and all your members, Gail Burstein, and others at the Department of Health, I want to acknowledge all the tireless work you've done on behalf of the people of this county and your contributions elsewhere. So County Executive Mark Poloncarz is here as well. Someone who is conscripted into our battle, once again, that foxhole, that big foxhole. Once we started talking about the vaccine hub and how we want to make sure that we were very equitable in our distribution in it and how we are going to deliver the vaccine to communities, particularly communities that have been hit so hard by this pandemic. And that's mostly the black and brown communities.
I want to thank Reverend Mark Blue the head of the NAACP for his great contributions in this as well, as well as Tom Quatroche who was on the vaccine hub, our President and CEO of ECMC. Mark Sullivan, President and CEO of Catholic Health. And they were doing an extraordinary job. And I wish I could say the job was over. It's not quite there yet. I'd love to be here to declare an end to this war, but the numbers do not allow us to say that just yet. Also want to recognize Dr. Greg Young from the Department of Health, who's been on the front lines with us every single day - thank you for your contribution.
I know Dr. Thomas Russo who's becoming quite the authority and has been answering a lot of questions, has been a tremendous resource for me personally as I ask him questions about how are we going to combat this. And Candice Moppins, I want to thank you for being the host here today for welcoming us to the Delavan Grider Community Center. I will go through a presentation. We'll take some questions afterward, but I am concerned. I am here because I'm personally deeply concerned about the rate of infection. Not just here in Western New York, but we're seeing in the Finger Lakes and some other regions, and I'll go into the details and then I'm going to send out a call to this community to help us change that dynamic now. We're heading into a vulnerable time. I want to make sure that we protect our kids in schools, keep our children safe, make sure people are safe in the workplace, safe when we gather for Thanksgiving. So. I want to thank all of the individuals who are part of this.
I also wanted to say, we are seeing the spikes go up. We are seeing the numbers continue. Over 8% here in Western New York. And a lot of it's concentrated in our rural areas. We're very aware that. There is a direct correlation between people being vaccinated and the infection rate. It's, it's extraordinary to think where we were a year ago. We had no hope. We had no weapons in our arsenal to fight back against this, this deadly pandemic. We were talking about a vaccine, praying for a vaccine, hoping that it would finally come and it did come. When we were able to start vaccinating people in nursing homes and in congregate settings and our most vulnerable seniors, we finally felt we had some hope.
And then through the Spring, making sure that we had enough supply and making sure that we could get them out to people who were again, were vulnerable, but ultimately to other age groups and other populations. And all of a sudden the supply was not a problem, it was creating the demand. We reached this turning point where there was plenty for people who wanted to get vaccinated, but we just couldn't even get them out
to enough people and people started rejecting them. People were saying, I'm turning my back on this opportunity. They did not want to be vaccinated. That's why I believe we're having these numbers. We see these numbers here today. When you look at the numbers of positivity, the cases per hundred thousand, it's another way of looking at the numbers, it's a high number. You know, when we were talking about these numbers when we were doing the control room meetings, none of us would have been satisfied with even half these numbers. And this is why we have such a high alarm here. We have over five regions that are over 50 per hundred [thousand]. And last week there was only one.
So in one week we've gone from one region hitting those higher numbers to five of them. We also have hospitalizations. I loved it when the numbers were going low, you can see that number is starting to trend in the wrong direction, if it flat lines that's one thing. But a week ago or two weeks, a couple of weeks ago, we had 206 hospitalizations of Western New York. Today we have 299. That's a lot of people. And the challenge we're facing, I speak to our health care leaders often, there's a lot of people in hospitals for other reasons as well. Many people put off necessary medical care during the pandemic. We shut down in order to create bed space. A lot of the elective surgeries were put off. A lot of people did not get their annual testing for the mammograms and other lifesaving, preventative measures, and testing. All that went on hold. And as a result of that, people who may have been able to be taken care of at home or out of a doctor's office became very sick.
So the combination of people sick with COVID, as well as the population that are taking up spaces because of the extraordinary circumstances I just spoke about, has really created a situation that is, that is not sustainable. And here's our infection rates. I'm not happy about this at all. Infection rates are high. Our vaccination rates should be higher.
I mean, there's no reason why we're not 100%. There's no reason - children do not go into kindergarten unless they're vaccinated. There should be no fear associated with a vaccine. This is for childrens safety. And we're starting to see the numbers up somewhat. But again, there's no reason. There's plenty of supply. We created a network working with our local counties, with our doctors' offices, with our pharmacies, health providers. We have created a dynamic where anybody who wants to get a vaccine, it is available. So yes, these numbers are better than they had been. We've made some great progress. I want to thank everyone, particularly those who may have been reluctant on the front end to do this. So the numbers are getting up there, we'll eventually hit 90%, but it's that 10% that's holding everybody back. That's what's so frustrating about this. It doesn't have to be that way. And now we have, we've been working for months and months to get the children for 12 to 17. The County Executive just spoke about this. The highest number or the category of ages, people getting the virus are the younger people now, they're not immune to this.
There was talk a year ago that it wasn't really going to hit the younger kids. So it's all about senior citizens, older people who were sick. That theory has been blown out of the water. Look at what we're having, the number of cases regarding young people now. Breakthroughs. This is very troubling and it does not mean you should not get a vaccination. You must get that vaccination. And these numbers still verify that the vaccination is the safest thing to do. When you are vaccinated, your chance of really getting sick or ending up in a hospital are dramatically decreased, dramatically. There's very few people, but there's still a number of people that are ending up in the hospital. The cases are starting to go up and this is what is so concerning to us.
So your chances of hospitalization are reduced by 95% if you do get the vaccine, but I can't tell you the number of people I've met. I just called up a Senator the other day, I called up a friend. More people I'm talking to are having these breakthroughs. Now the good news is there's a solution to the breakthroughs as well. And we'll get to that in a minute. So why is this happening in Western New York though? Let's look at these numbers in Western New York and the Finger Lakes. Some of it's not rocket science. People are starting to head indoors. They're outside a lot over the summer. All the outdoor dining was fun. It's getting a little colder now. People are just getting more complacent and more casual.
There was a time a year ago where when you gathered with family, you had a mask on indoors. You know, people were following those protocols. They were being smart about it. And we look at our fully vaccinated rates. Statewide it's approaching a higher number, but in the Finger Lakes it's 72%, Western New York it's 70%. That's where the problem lies, my friends, that's where the problem is, right there. You can zero on that and say, that is why we have such a high infection rate compared to other areas as well. And so we're even starting to see breakthrough cases with older people, they are very vulnerable if they get the breakthrough and we have to make sure that they're protected as well.
So we're approaching the holidays. What are our options? We have to fix it. We have to fix this. I want to celebrate Thanksgiving safely. I want to know that when we get together that we're not going to get one of our loved ones sick. We all went to this anxiety a year ago. We thought that was the last time, we declared by this time next year I'm sure we'll be fine. We'll have that vaccine. And because there are still holdouts, we cannot declare that it's going to be completely safe.
So how do you get rid of this pandemic? It is so simple. It is so simple. Get more people vaccinated and get the booster if you haven't had it. Wear a mask indoors, maintain the distance. And I know this is so frustrating because no one wants to hear this again, but we really should be avoiding large gatherings and indoor spaces.
So let me talk about boosters because there's been a lot of confusion about this and who's eligible for a booster. If you look at the numbers, we can look at the breakdown, there's room for improvement there. We definitely have the capacity. We have the infrastructure in place, and we have to make sure that more people are getting the boosters. Our seniors are vulnerable because their vaccine that they had, some of them just a little over a year ago, many of them were vaccinated in December, in January, starting to wane. The efficiency of this is starting to wane. We saw that, we know that.
So the way we can get it, we know that 47% of people 65 and older has had a booster, 47% above 65. That's the population that's going to get sick and end up in the hospital. We have to make sure that they're getting boosters. Let's get those booster numbers up. We're going to continue working with our local health care facilities, make boosters available. This is what the state is committing to do. If our counties need help, we're there for them. I've said this all along. I will be there to make sure that you have the resources you need to have boosters available in any place that seniors gather. I want to see them available at senior centers. We're going to be having them, even at this facility right here in a couple more days, we're going to have those available for children and for boosters. And if we can protect people with the boosters we'll be better off. Now, I just talked about people over 65. That's what the rule is, right? Here's the news flash. We live in a high transmission area. This part of the state is a high transmission area. Therefore there is risk associated with living in a high transmission area. Anyone who lives in these areas and feels risk, that they're at risk of catching this virus.
They should go get a booster. I want to be clear about that. If you live in a high transmission area, there is risk. If you personally feel that risk and it'd be hard to imagine anybody who doesn't, because you're among people. You're at work. You're in, sometimes in public transportation, you should be getting a booster shot now. I want to be crystal clear on that. Everybody clear on that? You got the message. Get the booster. It has to be a three shot, if you've had the Pfizer or Moderna, or it has to be a two-shot and you have to get the extra like I did and Reverend blue did, we got the Johnson and Johnson. Then we had the Moderna booster.
This is how we get out of this. And thank God we have this available to us. There's plenty of supply. We'll get this out. That's how we're going to get through these holidays safely. And there's no reason not to, no reason not to. So, if you have any questions about that, you can talk to your healthcare providers. We want to make sure that we're working with our local leaders. I want to commend County Executive Mark Poloncarz and County Executive Adam Bello, over in Monroe County. They spoke about this very clearly and they spoke about, you know, what will happen if the numbers don't go down, I wanted to be able to come here and declare, this is over.
Last thing I want to do is have to talk about more protocols that will be needed in place. So I'm giving everybody a chance. I'm getting the word out, saying this is reaching a situation that is untenable. The numbers are far too high. We have the answers. We have to get people vaccinated and get people the boosters. And I want our local health departments to know, and our local county executives that I have their backs when they need to take steps to move forward and have more protocols in place as they do in some other parts of the state. Particularly New York City. I will have your backs on this. I will support you and I'll give you the resources that you need to make it happen.
So let's get more shots in arms. Let's have more measures in place for social distancing and masking. And let's just talk about getting through this. Let's get through this and it's all about working with the local leadership. Because I know they're the ones who live and breathe this more than anyone. I'd love to be able to get through this winter with no more spikes. Everyone's tired of the masks. I thought I'd be able, at this point, be able to talk about removing masks in schools, but if there's no progress, we're going to have to have stricter measures. Talking about schools briefly. We do now allow children to remove masks during outdoor recess, outdoor gym, and while eating and drinking.
There's a lot of controversy about when kids can take off masks. That is currently the protocols in the states for students who are Outdoors, recess, outdoor gym class, while eating and drinking. And while they're unmasked, they really should stay as close to six feet apart as possible. We also have allowed counties to do an opt-in to test and state programs.
So we all know how critically important it is for kids to stay in school. We saw the decline in all these children across the state when they are relegated to sitting at home in some cases without proper technology, without a parent, making sure they got their work done and they slid hard. They slid far and they went down fast.
That to me is apparent as one of the greatest tragedies of this pandemic. In addition to the loss of life, that many people experienced. The loss of education for so many children. I want them to be in school safely. We know how to do this, and making sure that kids are vaccinated is the way to do it and making sure that if there is a school, let there be a protocol where children do not have to quarantine at home alone. If they test negative, they should be able to go back in school. We allowed the local school districts to Institute that. That is out there right now. And I encourage them to look at that, to make sure that kids are in school, in a safe setting.
The vaccinating for kids, children. This was great news, but let's not forget the fact that we are waiting for this a long time to make sure that our children could be protected. And this is a part of a huge effort across the state. We've had more than 140,000 kids ages, 5 to 11, get their first dose. There are so many places to get this done. We've opened up now, mass vaccination sites to kids. You can go online and get an appointment at one of them. We're having more pop-ups, we're making it so easy on parents. No, no, no excuses out there. We're going to do that. In fact, we're going to do it right here at the Delavan Grider Community Center, Friday and Saturday. Come on down mom and dads and grandma and grandpa bring the kids down here and make sure that we continue working with our community partners.
And so we're going to be doing this and you'll be staying tuned. This is in conjunction with what the county's already doing, we want to make sure that we're not duplicating efforts, but maximizing the resources of the county and the state. We also want to have an ad campaign. I know there's hesitancy. I know parents are anxious. Even parents who've been vaccinated themselves. They might just be thinking twice about "is this something I want for my kids." I understand that anxiety. I'm a mom, you're hardwired to do everything you can to make sure your children, your babies, even when they're teenagers are still your babies.
I understand that maternal and paternal sense of responsibility. So we want parents to have all the facts. We've launched a, "get the facts" page to dispel information that's wrong. Cause there's a lot of disinformation out there. A lot of lies. That's what we're combating. That people are seeing something on social media, on Facebook, and they're treating them as if it's gospel truth. Despite the fact that their own doctor may have a different message for them. That's what's so maddening about this. And we have to stop that and call it out and get the information out there. So we're launching a new campaign to encourage people, to get the truth, get the facts, and I will play this ad right now so you have a chance to see it.
[Advertisement plays]
Well, you're going to start seeing that on the news very soon. And I just want to say, I really want to make sure that everyone in this community and across the state has heard me loud and clear. If you feel at risk, and I will tell you my judgement is you are at risk if you're living in a high transmission area. Get the booster shot, gets your children vaccinated. Let's be able to have the next time I come out here. Let's get through these holidays, but for us to say that the masks are coming off, we don't need the restrictions, we can get there. I believe it, to my core, we can get there. There's no reason not to. We continue to do this for our own safety, our family's safety, but also our children and as well as just be able to bring back this economy.
People are just thirsting for that sense of normalcy that they can put this behind. And I know people are frustrated, that they're exasperated. When is this going to end? And how is it possible we're still talking about this pandemic? This Delta variant took us all by surprise. It is raging. It is still out there and still virulent. And we cannot ignore this as much as we have. We all have our exhaustion with talking about COVID, there's a lot more fun things to talk about. Like a really big Buffalo Bills win the other day. Listen, I was actually at that game. I spiked the football too much but I did gloat a little bit.
I want to thank everyone for coming. You are the people on the ground that care so deeply, whether you have constituents or patients or people that you serve in community centers like this. You're the ones that are making the difference. And I want you to know that the State of New York understands this. We're not coming in to be heavy handed and dictatorial. We want to liberate to local governments to do what they do best, but be there as their allies at their sides to make sure that they have all the resources they need, whatever approach they want to take. But at some point, if the numbers don't start on a downward trend, we're going to have to talk about larger protocols, which we all know are available to us.
They're all available to us. So this is the warning. The warning is going out loud and clear today. And I truly hope that the community at large will listen to this because it doesn't have to be this way. It doesn't have to be. We can do better. I believe that. And I know you know that as well, so thank you all for being my allies. And someday we'll all emerge from the foxhole. We're just not there yet. So thank you very much.