New York is offering $100 dollars to every citizen who gets their first dose of the vaccine against coronavirus disease (Covid-19) at any of the city-run vaccination sites, according to reports citing statements made by mayor Bill de Blasio. The development comes amid a surge in new Covid-19 infections in the United States as the more infectious delta variant spreads like wildfire across the nation.
“I think when someone says here’s $100 for you, that’s going to make a big impact,” the New York Times quoted de Blasio as saying. “The key is vaccination. We can talk about so many other issues with Covid-19, but if we're not talking about vaccination then we're not talking about the solution.”
New York, as of Wednesday, had vaccinated nearly 71% of all the adults in the city, the report said, adding that around 59% of the city's total population have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine. More than 65% of adults and 54% of New York City's total population have been fully vaccinated, the report added.
The delta variant of the coronavirus is, however, making things complicated. Certain parts of New York look like they're once again on their way to becoming a Covid-19 hot spot, and CDC guidelines suggest that authorities enforce mandatory masking for both vaccinated and unvaccinated citizens.
The new guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which arrived on Tuesday, recommend both vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans wear masks in those areas which have registered more than 50 new cases per 100,000 residents over the week prior, or where more than 8% of Covid-19 tests came back positive over the same period.
{{/usCountry}}The new guidelines by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which arrived on Tuesday, recommend both vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans wear masks in those areas which have registered more than 50 new cases per 100,000 residents over the week prior, or where more than 8% of Covid-19 tests came back positive over the same period.
{{/usCountry}}All five of New York's boroughs tick the check-boxes under these criteria, according to the publication. While Brooklyn and Manhattan have recorded 78.1 and 70.4 cases per 100,000 residents, respectively, Staten Island clocked a staggering 109 positive cases per 100,000 residents last week.
New York mayor de Blasio calls this "complicated information".
“So our health team is reviewing, and we’ll have more to say on it in the next few days,” he was quoted as saying.