Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

News

Health Officials Confirm NYC COVID Variant Is More Infectious, Outpacing UK Strain

Ben Yakas

Published Mar 10, 2021

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

Never miss a story

Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

A medical worker with gloved hands with many test tubes

NYC Mayor's Office

Ben Yakas

Published Mar 10, 2021

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

Mayor Bill de Blasio addressed the increasing spread of COVID-19 variants throughout the city at a press conference Wednesday morning, confirming that the newest variant discovered in Washington Heights spreads faster than the original virus.

NYC's Senior Advisor for Public Health, Dr. Jay Varma, said that two mutants B.1.1.7 (a.k.a. the UK variant) and B.1.526 (Washington Heights), account for 51% of all cases in the city right now. He said the preliminary analysis on B.1.526, which was first reported in February, indicated that it is more infectious than the founder strain of the coronavirus, which was first confirmed in New York a year ago this month.

So far, health officials don't believe that this new variant strain causes more severe illness or reduces the effectiveness of vaccines, but it poses a health threat merely by spreading faster.

To break all that down further, Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi said that the New York variant accounted for approximately 39% of all cases in the most recent week, up from 31% the week prior; the B.1.1.7 strain increased to 12% of all samples, from 8% the previous week.

That means the New York variant is circulating at three times the level of the UK strain.

Cases of the B.1.351, which was first spotted in South Africa and was previously detected in Nassau County, or the Brazil-originating P.1 variants have not been found in the most recent data.

De Blasio was upbeat about the potency of vaccines against the variants. Scientists think the current slate of shots will initially protect against all of these emergent strains, but varieties carrying certain mutations—namely one called E484K—can partially bypass our current immunity. This pattern suggests that these variants might more quickly wear down our protection over time, necessitating the need for more frequent booster shots or updates to vaccine formulas.

"So far, thank God, what we're finding is that variants are not posing the worst kind of problems we might fear—for example, a variant that is more deadly, we're not seeing that, a variant that is vaccine-resistant, we're not seeing that," he said on Wednesday morning. "What we are seeing is variants that are more infectious, and therefore spread the disease more, and that's a real issue. But the good news is we have the strategies to fight back."

Both the mayor and Mitchell Katz, the CEO of NYC Health and Hospitals Corporation, framed the situation as a race against time—and the vaccine rollout. At the hospital level, COVID-19 deaths continue to decline despite the increase in variants, Katz added, emphasizing that the vaccines are working.

"The way that I understand is that we've been very good about vaccinating those people at greatest risk," Katz said. "So, the most dramatic drops in mortality and serious hospitalizations are in the nursing homes, which is also where we saw the highest death rates last March and April."

De Blasio, Varma, and Chokshi all reiterated that people should continue wearing masks, maintaining distance, washing hands, getting tested, and most importantly, getting vaccinated when it is possible. Vaccination is "the number one weapon in the war against these variants," de Blasio added.

On Monday, CDC officials said two-dose versions of the COVID-19 vaccines—such as those from Moderna and Pfizer—offer better protection against the variants than one shot, according to CNN. But the Johnson & Johnson option doesn't lag far behind.

"In the match between vaccines and variants, let's not give the variants the upper hand," Chokshi said. "We must recommit to these public health precautions. Think of it like checking your safety belt and adjusting your mirrors in your car as you head into a winding road. And I'm hopeful this will be the last leg of our journey through this pandemic."

So far, 2,448,892 total doses of the vaccines have been administered throughout the city. The mayor noted that the city's rough estimate is that more than half the city's residents are currently eligible to get vaccines, and he took a guess that the earliest that all NYC residents will be eligible for the vaccine won't be until late May or June.

Asked about whether there could be new restrictions in response to the spread of these more infectious variants, Dr. Varma said that although the virus will continue to evolve, the science is clear: "If we take all those individual precautions that are necessary and we get vaccinated, we can win," he said. "There are times when public health restrictions are necessary, but right now, we all feel strongly that if [we] can keep persistent behavior that's necessary and get the vaccines, we can get to very good moment."

Dr. Chokshi added that in addition to the individual safeguards and behaviors, "we have to make sure we are not moving too quickly with respect to the large gatherings that we've advised against, and other things that we know would facilitate increased spread of the virus."

Tagged

COVID-19

pandemic

coronavirus

mayor bill de blasio

variant

vaccine

Ben Yakas

Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

MORE news

NYC Council to consider earlier Legionella reporting after deadly outbreaks

A bill facing a hearing Monday would require cooling tower owners to notify city health officials when bacteria levels reach a much lower threshold.

Catalina Gonella

Published Oct 18, 2026 at 7:36 p.m. ET

Staten Island fire injures 2, but spares historic 'Godfather' church

Dozens of firefighters responded to the blaze, which started in a vacant warehouse. It was contained within three hours.

Giulia Heyward

News

Staten Island fire injures 2, but spares historic 'Godfather' church

Dozens of firefighters responded to the blaze, which started in a vacant warehouse. It was contained within three hours.

Giulia Heyward

Bail reform remains major issue in NY governor's race, 7 years after it became law

Gino Fanelli

NYPD identifies Bronx man, 26, killed in Midtown subway shooting

Ryan Kost

Elizabeth Kim

and

Phil Corso

Have you seen this Yorkie? NYPD looking for adorable pup dognapped from her Queens home

Ryan Kost

Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .