NYC raises Covid alert level to medium

New York, May 3

New York City has adjusted up its Covid-19 alert level from low to medium, indicating the presence of medium community spread of the virus, according to the official data.

The accumulated new cases per 100,000 people in the city in the last seven days moved up to 209.02, which surpasses the threshold of 200 to enter the medium level, Xinhua news agency quoted official data as saying.

The seven-day average new cases have increased to nearly 2,500 by April 29 from over 600 in early March.

With the medium risk alert level, New Yorkers must exercise even greater caution than they have the last few weeks, said Dr. Ashwin Vasan, Health Commissioner of NYC in a statement.

New Yorkers are advised to upgrade to higher-quality masks while wearing a face mask in public indoor settings, according to the colour-coded alert system introduced in early March.

Led by Northeast, Midwest and Northwest regions, Covid-19 cases in the US are on a meaningful rebound in the last few weeks.

According to the latest data from Johns Hopkins University, the US continues to be the worst-hit country with the world's highest number of cases and deaths 81,444,332 and 993,999.