booster shot

The unprecedented infectiousness of XBB.1.5 prompted renewed calls for public caution Friday from New York City health officials, who announced the latest omicron descendant, widely believed to be behind the latest case wave, now accounts for nearly three-quarters of all coronavirus circulating across the five boroughs. Calling the new strain “the most transmissible COVID variant we know of to date,”…

COVID-19 hospitalizations in New York and New Jersey have soared to 11-month highs as the most transmissible variant yet, a combination of two prior omicron strains, fuels yet another infection wave nearly three full years into the pandemic, the latest federal health data show. Deaths are also climbing, with weekly fatality reports for both states currently at their highest levels…

The CDC said the new COVID-19 variant is responsible for 75% of new cases.

For the first time in months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is recommending masks in Central New York because of an uptick in COVID-19 cases and patients hospitalized with the virus. As of Thursday, the CDC identified nine counties in New York state that met the criteria, w which is based on new cases per 100,000 population, new…

There is a new push to get more people vaccinated with the latest COVID booster, especially ahead of the fall and winter. Andrew Siff reports.

A new COVID-19 booster shot will be available in September and is expected to be more effective against the latest virus variants. Greg Cergol reports.

As a new subvariant of COVID spreads, Dr. Ayman El-Mohandes, dean of the City University of New York Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy and a pediatrician and longtime academic, has the answers to all your top questions. Hear from him on the second booster, masking and a possible viral surge tied to BA.2.

The latest expansion comes as omicron subvariant BA.2 fuels fresh worries over the COVID pandemic; cases are rising but hospitalizations and deaths are still down and experts don’t expect a huge surge New York state outlined its second COVID booster eligibility guidance on Saturday, days after the five boroughs started offering the fourth vaccine doses following the federal government’s...

New York City-run COVID sites are officially offering second booster shots for eligible people starting Thursday, a day after initially turning some away as health officials ironed out the guidelines. Retail pharmacies are also on board. The CDC endorsed the FDA’s authorization of the fourth shot for Pfizer and Moderna recipients age 50 and older who are at least four…

The CDC and FDA have recommended a second booster dose of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines for people age 50 and older. But why did the recommendation come out so quickly? And will we have to get a yearly booster shot in the future? Dr. Uché Blackstock shares her thoughts.

New York City will start offering a second booster shot Thursday for people over 50 years old and older. Adam Kuperstein reports.

A new CDC recommendation says people ages 50 and older should get a second dose of a COVID-19 booster shot.

New York City health officials said they are going to start administering second booster shots of the COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday, following FDA and CDC approval for those over the age of 50. The FDA authorized the added booster on Tuesday for those at least four months from their last booster shot. The CDC endorse it as an option, without…

The latest booster recommendation is getting mixed reaction, even from those who have already gotten all of their shots. NBC New York’s Ida Siegal reports.

Most COVID-19 mandates, mask and otherwise, may have lifted in New York and much of the country, but it’s still smart to keep all your vaccine documents in a place you can find them. Preferably, you can keep them all together, since you may still need them for travel, employment verification and other activities from time to time. New...

New York recently dropped its mask mandates and New York City stopped its vaccine proof requirement for restaurant and venues, but those measures could return if COVID-19 cases rise again. NBC New York’s Andrew Siff reports.

New York will not immediately enforce its mandate requiring health care workers to get COVID-19 boosters in light of concerns about staffing shortages, state health officials said Friday. Gov. Kathy Hochul pointed to a troubling rise in breakthrough infections when she announced the mandate in January. Her administration set a deadline of Feb. 21. But state health commissioner Mary Bassett...

Those against the mandate took their fight to City Hall, citing everything from medical autonomy to natural immunity. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court denied a request from NYC teachers who were trying to block the vaccine mandate for workers who were not granted a religious exemption. NBC New York’s Checkey Beckford reports.

Which vaccines were most effective against omicron compared with delta? How much added protection do booster shots really provide? A new CDC study has the answers.

Inflammation, stress, memory issues, and other symptoms of “long haul” COVID-19 are still impacting Fiona Lowenstein and Chimére Smith. Smith tells LX News she developed occipital neuralgia after contracting the virus in March 2020. “It almost feels like I have a rubber band around my head, actually 20 of them at any given time,” Smith said.