…public health experts, watching cases rise in Europe, are expecting New York City to experience another winter surge in infections. While they expect it to be less severe than last year’s jump in infections, they say they are worried by the city’s near total lack of rules meant to prevent virus transmission.
“The concern is that relaxing the precautions right now is going to make the city a lot more vulnerable to a surge in the coming weeks and months,” said Dr. Bruce Y. Lee, a professor at CUNY’s School of Public Health.
While hospitalizations and deaths are low, cases have risen slightly in the city in recent weeks, from a seven-day average of 1,980 new cases on Sept. 4, to 2,132 on Sept. 23, the latest day for which data is available, according to city records. The city’s coronavirus dashboard labels this growth in cases as “stable.”
The hands-off approach means that health experts aren’t sure how severe the coming wave could be.
The city has seen wide vaccination coverage for initial doses, but less so for boosters, which are key for keeping immunity to the coronavirus intact.
“I think the city needs to be doing much more in terms of putting multiple layers of protection in case,” said Dr. Stephanie Woolhandler, a professor of public health at Hunter College…





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