As the “tripledemic” of flu, COVID and RSV hit New York City hard, officials strongly advise face masks in specific situations. Showing caution for New Yorkers is extra meaningful because, as we’ve seen, the swarm of tourists flooding town will not.
by David Stone
The Roosevelt Island Daily News
“The holiday season is about togetherness and there is a way to gather safely – even as respiratory viruses in our city are unusually high,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan.
“It starts with protecting yourself. Vaccination and boosters are critical but so are common sense precautions like masking when indoors or among crowds and staying home if you don’t feel well.”
The Tripledemic Hitting New York City
“Some hospitals are already reaching their breaking point,” reported CBS News.
“Cohen Children’s Medical Center at Northwell Health says it’s seen an almost 50% increase in admissions in recent weeks, now seeing 300 a day, and forced to take around 75 beds away from adults to give to children.”
While officials coupled guidance with vaccination advice, face masks are easy and not controversial. And most of us are used to them already.
For Roosevelt Island, it’s especially important that we look out for each. Crowded Red Buses are high-risk zones, and although many of the drivers already wear masks, Island leadership has been absent.
Looking out for each other as a community helps keep everyone as safe and healthy as possible. Stick together on this.
“I Can Ask”
Chair Fay Christian opened the Operations Advisory Committee on February 12th, reading out member names from a prepared sheet that omitted Melissa Wade. It didn’t feel intentional, but it struck me as odd precisely because it came from something prepared. Lydia Tang gently corrected her, noting that Wade was, in fact, a member of the committee. Wade met the moment with grace, or perhaps she simply wasn’t bothered by it.
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