Hochul: ‘That’s an extraordinary drop’

Coronavirus cases continue to plummet in New York. Gov. Hochul says we’re turning the corner on the winter wave.

The governor says there were 7,119 new positives on Monday. That’s down 92% from the all-time pandemic high above 90,000, just three weeks ago.

With infection numbers falling, Hochul was encouraged, but expressed concern for COVID patients who’ve gotten over the virus and are still suffering the symptoms.

She has asked Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett to convene a panel of experts this Thursday to discuss ways to help long haulers.

As far as vaccinations go, Hochul said the rate for children is still lagging behind where it needs to be, and encouraged parents to get their kids vaccinated. She also said Pfizer is close to vaccines for children under 5 years old.

Hochul also said while the news is good, she will continue to err on the side of caution and keep kids masked until the experts or the courts give her a different message.

New York’s mask mandate will also remain in effect while the state appeals the ruling from a lower court judge who overturned it.

Late Monday night, an appellate panel of judges voted to support last week’s decision to temporarily restore the mandate as the full appeals process gets underway.

MORE: New York State Coronavirus Dashboard | Vaccine Tracker