Morning News Brief
Written by John Vazquez on February 21, 2022
A mandate requiring healthcare workers across the state to receive their COVID-19 booster shot won’t go into effect today as planned. The state health department says the mandate will no longer be enforced due to concerns that it could cause major staffing shortages. The state will reassess in three months whether additional steps need to be made to increase the booster rate among health care employees. The latest data shows at least 75% of healthcare workers have received or are willing to receive the booster.
New York Lt. Gov. Brian Benjamin is recovering after testing positive for COVID-19. Benjamin announced his diagnosis on social media last night saying that while he’s infected, no other members of his family are sick. Benjamin says he’s experiencing minor symptoms and that he’s received both the COVID-19 vaccine and a booster shot. He is going to isolate at home and get tested again in a few days.
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer wants the Senate to vote next month to cap the cost of insulin. The Majority Leader said Sunday he wants the price limited to $35 per vial, not the hundreds of dollars it currently costs. The drug is absolutely necessary for many Americans but the price has been rising more than 15% a year since 2012.
The latest COVID-19 statistics for New York State shows a drop in the number of hospitalizations and the number of patients in ICU. There was also an increase in the number of patients with COVID-19 that were discharged. The latest numbers from Saturday showed 2,640 New Yorkers tested positive for COVID-19, there were two positive tests from Genesee County.
There was a watermain break Sunday on Stringham Drive in the Town of Batavia. Water was shut off around 2:30 p.m for a portion of residents around Stringham Drive and Clinton Crossings. Service was restored nearly three hours later.
Prices at the pump continue to spike. The latest report from AAA shows the average cost for a gallon of regular gas is now $3.67 a gallon. That’s up 7 cents in the past week and is 24 cents higher than this time one month ago. It’s still lower than the state average of $3.74 a gallon.
