New York Sees Highest Single-Day COVID Cases Since Start of Pandemic, Amid Omicron Surge

New York state recorded on Thursday the highest number of new coronavirus infections since the start of the pandemic, with more than 21,000 new cases reported.

Governor Kathy Hochul announced the new record on Friday, saying that 21,027 new infections have been reported—as concerns about the increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant grow across the country and around the world.

"The winter surge in COVID-19 cases is a reminder that the pandemic is not over yet and we must take extra care to keep ourselves and each other safe," Hochul said Friday. "The vaccine is still our best weapon to defeat the virus and ensure we are safe from serious illness. Get the shot if you haven't yet and the booster if you have, mask up, and wash your hands."

The previous record for New York was recorded in January, when 19,942 infections were reported in a single day. While concerns about Omicron mount, public health experts have suggested that it appears to cause relatively mild cases of COVID-19 in most patients. Fully vaccinated individuals—and particularly those who have had boosters—are believed to have a significant level of protection against severe disease and hospitalization.

Hochul posted an update on New York's vaccination statistics to Twitter on Friday after she announced the record-number of new infections.

"Vax Update: 93.9% of adult New Yorkers have at least one vaccine dose (CDC), 81.6% of all New Yorkers have at least one vaccine dose (CDC), 129,464 doses administered over last 24 hrs, 32,101,073 total doses administered," the governor tweeted.

While life in New York had largely returned to some normalcy over the summer months and autumn, the spike in new infections has brought back the harsh reality of the pandemic for state residents. Lines to get coronavirus tests have grown dramatically since the start of December, and the state reimplemented an indoor mask mandate last week.

In total, from the outset of the pandemic, more than 2.89 million New Yorkers have tested positive for the virus, according to data compiled by The New York Times. Well over 57,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the state. As of Thursday, more than 4,100 people were hospitalized with the disease, on average, per day.

President Joe Biden warned Americans on Thursday about the new risks presented by the Omicron variant during a COVID-19 pandemic briefing.

"It's here now and it's spreading, and it's gonna increase," the president cautioned.

"We are looking at a winter of severe illness and death for the unvaccinated—for themselves, their families and the hospitals they'll soon overwhelm. But there's good news: If you're vaccinated and you have your booster shot, you're protected from severe illness and death," Biden said.