Notice a few more face masks than usual on your Monday commute? At the office? Unsure?
Monday marks the first weekday since New York City health officials "strongly" advised people mask up in public indoor settings as well as crowded outdoor ones regardless of vaccination status amid compounding infection threats of COVID, RSV and flu with the worst of the dreaded winter viral threat still looming after the holidays.
Anecdotally, some may report more mask usage in recent weeks, but it remains to be seen how many in the city will heed the latest warning from the health department. It came late Friday, with NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan acknowledging the three respiratory viruses are "spreading at high levels" right now and urging precautions.
"We are facing unprecedented levels of flu, unprecedented levels of RSV and we're seeing an increase in COVID. So taken together, there are a few simple steps people need to do for the holidays to celebrate safely," said Dr. Vasan.
The rolling seven-day averages for COVID cases and hospitalizations across the five boroughs the first week of December are at their highest levels since August and February, respectively. Deaths have stayed largely stable, though the positivity rate is above 13% and the daily new case average has topped 3,550. The latter is still rising, data shows.
All five New York City counties -- the Bronx, Brooklyn, Manhattan, Staten Island and Queens -- currently meet the CDC threshold for high COVID community spread, and CDC exposure guidelines mirror the latest recommendation from the health department. Additional precautions may be needed for people at heightened risk for severe respiratory illness.
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City flu reporting has some data limitations, but as of the most recent one, which covered the week ending Dec. 3, influenza activity was described as "elevated," with positive test results rising and flu-like illness visits to emergency rooms accounting for 13% of the weekly total. The positive test rate appears significantly higher than in prior seasons.
"Thanksgiving data showed we have more cases, at that Thanksgiving Nov. 26, than we have had in the last 12 years," said Dr. Waleed Javaid, a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at the Icahn School of Medicine.
New Jersey and Connecticut are facing "very high" flu spread, according to the CDC, which says hospitalizations connected to the virus are at their highest in a decade. Symptoms overlap with COVID and RSV, so it can be difficult to ascertain the true spread rate of any of the three without a diagnostic test -- and those aren't 100% accurate either.
RSV reporting in New York City has similar constraints to flu data, but the charts reflect similar trends for the latest week available. Like flu, this RSV season appears more intense than usual. RSV accounted for the third-most respiratory virus-related cases reported to the city health department for the week ending Dec. 3. COVID was fifth.
While it is possible New Yorkers hear more frequent reminders about mask usage and other viral precautions, no new mandates are expected. Instead, public health officials and others ask people to employ the same techniques they've used for the last three years to try to help protect themselves and each other.
That means get your latest COVID booster if you haven't and limit your time out of home if vulnerable or feeling unwell. High-quality masks like KN95 or KF94 or N95 respirators are recommended for extra protection.
As Vasan put it when he announced the new mask advisory, "While respiratory viruses are spreading at high levels in NYC, there are common-sense ways to protect yourself and your loved ones this holiday season: vaccination, boosters, wearing a mask indoors or among crowds and staying home if you don't feel well."
