{"id":46590,"date":"2022-09-08T07:49:36","date_gmt":"2022-09-08T11:49:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/?p=46590"},"modified":"2022-09-08T07:49:36","modified_gmt":"2022-09-08T11:49:36","slug":"masks-optional-on-mass-transit-in-nys-new-covid-19-booster-available","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/masks-optional-on-mass-transit-in-nys-new-covid-19-booster-available\/","title":{"rendered":"Masks Optional on Mass Transit in NYS, New COVID-19 Booster Available"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_46591\" style=\"width: 385px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Bivalent-COVID-19-Vaccine.jpg?ssl=1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-46591\" data-attachment-id=\"46591\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/masks-optional-on-mass-transit-in-nys-new-covid-19-booster-available\/bivalent-covid-19-vaccine\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Bivalent-COVID-19-Vaccine.jpg?fit=799%2C533&amp;ssl=1\" data-orig-size=\"799,533\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Bivalent COVID 19 Vaccine\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccine Booster&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Bivalent-COVID-19-Vaccine.jpg?fit=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Bivalent-COVID-19-Vaccine.jpg?fit=799%2C533&amp;ssl=1\" class=\" wp-image-46591\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Bivalent-COVID-19-Vaccine.jpg?resize=375%2C250&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" width=\"375\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Bivalent-COVID-19-Vaccine.jpg?w=799&amp;ssl=1 799w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Bivalent-COVID-19-Vaccine.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Bivalent-COVID-19-Vaccine.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 375px) 100vw, 375px\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-46591\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Bivalent COVID-19 Vaccine Booster<\/p><\/div>\n<p><strong>Masks<\/strong> are now optional on public transit, public shelters, and correctional facilities in New York State.<\/p>\n<p>Governor <strong>Kathy Hochul<\/strong> announced masking requirements will remain in effect at state-regulated health care facilities, adult care facilities, and clinical settings.<\/p>\n<p>She said the state will continue following <strong>COVID-19<\/strong> data and will adjust policies as needed.<\/p>\n<p>Hochul also announced that the new bivalent COVID-19 vaccine boosters are now available in New York State. These boosters are designed to add <strong>Omicron<\/strong> BA.4 and BA.5 variants and bolster previous vaccination protection. The announcement follows the <strong>Centers for Disease Control and Prevention<\/strong>&#8216;s recommendation to use updated COVID-19 boosters from <strong>Pfizer-BioNTech<\/strong> for anyone age 12 or older and from <strong>Moderna<\/strong> for those 18 or older.<\/p>\n<p>To be eligible to receive the updated booster, individuals must have completed their original vaccine series or received a booster at least two months before.<\/p>\n<p>New Yorkers should contact their regular health care provider, local pharmacy, or local county health department about getting the booster. New Yorkers can also visit vaccines.gov, text their ZIP code to 438829, or call 1-800-232-0233 to find nearby vaccination locations.<\/p>\n<p>Hochul said in the coming weeks, the CDC is expected to announce updated COVID-19 boosters for younger pediatric groups. Until then, the monovalent mRNA Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine remains authorized for use as boosters in children ages 5 through 11 and for all primary series vaccinations.<\/p>\n<p>According to the New York State COVID-19 Testing Tracker, Chautauqua County&#8217;s seven-day average positivity rate is 12.5%. The CDC Community Level is now at medium. At this level, the CDC recommends wearing a mask if you have symptoms of COVID-19, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID. They also recommend wearing a mask on public transportation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Masks are now optional on public transit, public shelters, and correctional facilities in New York State. Governor Kathy Hochul announced masking requirements will remain in effect at state-regulated health care facilities, adult care facilities, and clinical settings. She said the state will continue following COVID-19 data and will adjust policies as needed. Hochul also announced [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":22,"featured_media":46591,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[4],"tags":[371,9930,10229,10657,1333,10295,10798,10852,10658],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Bivalent-COVID-19-Vaccine.jpg?fit=799%2C533&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p3YlJ4-c7s","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":41373,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/five-case-of-covid-19-omicron-variant-in-new-york-state\/","url_meta":{"origin":46590,"position":0},"title":"Five Case of COVID-19 Omicron Variant in New York State","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"December 3, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Governor Kathy Hochul has announced that five cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant have been found in New York State. She said the cases appear unrelated and been confirmed through sequencing to be the variant. All cases were in people in downstate New York including four in New York City.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Local News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Local News","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/local-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Hochul-Omicron-Update.jpg?fit=799%2C537&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Hochul-Omicron-Update.jpg?fit=799%2C537&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Hochul-Omicron-Update.jpg?fit=799%2C537&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Hochul-Omicron-Update.jpg?fit=799%2C537&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":47793,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/covid-flu-and-rsv-cases-on-the-rise-in-new-york-state\/","url_meta":{"origin":46590,"position":1},"title":"COVID, Flu, and RSV Cases on the Rise in New York State","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"October 28, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The New York State Department of Health is warning that COVID-19, Seasonal Flu and Respiratory Syncytial Virus cases are rising in the state. Health officials say as respiratory virus infections spread this fall and are expected to continue through the winter, they're urging people to take steps to help stop\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Local News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Local News","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/local-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Hochul-Flu.jpg?fit=799%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Hochul-Flu.jpg?fit=799%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Hochul-Flu.jpg?fit=799%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/Hochul-Flu.jpg?fit=799%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":46485,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/fda-authorizes-new-covid-19-booster\/","url_meta":{"origin":46590,"position":2},"title":"FDA Authorizes New COVID-19 Booster","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"September 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Food and Drug Administration authorized reformulated versions of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines that aim to protect against the omicron variant. The new shots target both the original strain of the coronavirus and the omicron BA.4\/BA.5 subvariants that most people are catching now. This new vaccine is called a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Local News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Local News","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/local-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/vaccine.jpg?fit=500%2C333&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":41404,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/ski-for-free-incentive-announced-to-bolster-covid-19-vaccinations-boosters\/","url_meta":{"origin":46590,"position":3},"title":"&#8216;Ski for Free&#8217; Incentive Announced to Bolster COVID-19 Vaccinations, Boosters","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"December 6, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Kids ages 5 to 11 as well as anyone eligible for a booster can win a chance to \"Ski for Free\" under a COVID-19 vaccine incentive sweepstakes in New York State. Governor Kathy Hochul announced the six-week sweepstakes which is intended to bolster vaccination rates among children ages 5-11 as\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Local News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Local News","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/local-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/NYS-Ski-For-Free.png?fit=1200%2C816&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/NYS-Ski-For-Free.png?fit=1200%2C816&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/NYS-Ski-For-Free.png?fit=1200%2C816&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/NYS-Ski-For-Free.png?fit=1200%2C816&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/NYS-Ski-For-Free.png?fit=1200%2C816&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":47471,"url":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/cdc-recommends-new-omicron-boosters-for-kids\/","url_meta":{"origin":46590,"position":4},"title":"CDC Recommends New Omicron Boosters for Kids","author":"WRFA Radio","date":"October 14, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended the new omicron boosters for kids as young as age 5. 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Chautauqua County Public Health Director Christine Schuyler issued a statement saying booster doses are common for many vaccines and that updated formulations are sometimes needed to provide the best protection against new variants of a virus. The updated\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Local News&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Local News","link":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/category\/news\/local-news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Bivalent-COVID-19-Vaccine.jpg?fit=799%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Bivalent-COVID-19-Vaccine.jpg?fit=799%2C533&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Bivalent-COVID-19-Vaccine.jpg?fit=799%2C533&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Bivalent-COVID-19-Vaccine.jpg?fit=799%2C533&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46590"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/22"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46590"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46590\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46592,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46590\/revisions\/46592"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/46591"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46590"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46590"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wrfalp.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46590"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}