Mayor Adams, NYC health officials discuss holiday season safety

Mayor Eric Adams has encouraged New Yorkers to continue to take health precautions as he announced new tools to help fight RSV, the flu, and COVID-19.

Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan recently issued a Health Advisory that urges New York City residents to stay safe heading into the holidays by staying up to date with vaccinations, masking in indoor public settings when possible, testing regularly, and staying home if sick.

Adams announced that flu and RSV testing, as well as Tamiflu prescriptions, are now available at 50 NYC Health + Hospitals’ Test to Treat units.

The mayor said updated COVID-19 Pfizer vaccines will be available to children from six months to four years old at all of the city’s 11 public hospitals.

According to Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan, while RSV appears to be on the decline in the city, coronavirus cases are slowly increasing again, and officials are seeing “a pretty dramatic incline” in the flu.

Dr. Vasan stressed the need for people to get vaccinated and noted that most coronavirus deaths, more than 80%, are people who are unvaccinated.