NYC Pushes Indoor Mask Advisory for All as ‘Worst’ Omicron Strain Fuels 6th Wave

The BA.5 subvariant appears to escape immunity and transmit more easily, leading some to call it the “worst version” of omicron yet — and a recent study on severe outcome risk from reinfection raises fresh alarm bells

By Jennifer Millman • Published July 8, 2022 • Updated on July 8, 2022 at 3:34 pm

What to Know

• COVID cases are surging across America once again, fueled in large part by the highly contagious and more vaccine-resistant omicron subvariants
• All five NYC counties were added back to the CDC’s high-risk category for COVID spread on Friday, Westchester County was also added to the list
• What’s behind the spread? Experts believe it is being driven by omicron subvariants BA.5 and BA.4, which are said to be 4.2 times more vaccine-evasive than their predecessor and are also more transmissible

All five boroughs of New York City are back in the CDC’s high-risk category for COVID community spread as of the agency’s Friday update, a reflection of the increasingly infectious national climate as the “worst version” of omicron yet holds its dominance.

Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx and Staten Island had all been in the CDC high-risk category for the latter half of May and transitioned to medium risk through June as viral rates and hospital admissions associated with that wave ebbed. The relief was short-lived, though, with all five boroughs now in a heightened state of risk.

That means face masks are recommended for everyone indoors and in public settings, regardless of vaccination status — again. It comes as some neighborhoods in Manhattan and Queens are seeing 25% positivity rates (again). City health officials renewed their indoor mask advisory on Friday in light of the updated COVID data.

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We’re currently seeing high levels of COVID-19 in NYC. To help slow the spread, all New Yorkers should wear a high-quality mask, such as an N95, KN95 or KF94 in all public indoor settings and around crowds outside: https://t.co/B6U7bSKPVV pic.twitter.com/Z1Pgt0nAPU— nychealthy (@nycHealthy) July 8, 2022

And as in prior waves, the problem is hardly relegated to New York City.

As of Friday, more than a fifth of all U.S. counties — 667, total — are designated high risk for community spread by the CDC, an increase of 70% in just the last two weeks. In New York, Westchester County joined the five boroughs in their return to high-risk, while Suffolk County was downgraded to medium after just a week at elevated risk.