Governor Katy Hochul believes that New York has just acquired the tools to defeat the latest battle against COVID.

The number of COVID cases in New York is once again on the rise. If six states report a sharp increase in the number of COVID hospitalizations, Empire State is one of them.

According to NBC reports, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Illinois and New York accounted for more than 50% of the nation’s recent COVID hospitalizations.

In the Hudson Valley, COVID cases in Duchess County have increased by nearly 60% since June, while cases in Rockland County have increased by nearly 70% since June. Ulster counties and Westchester counties have declared a state of emergency.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul believes that there is a simple solution to slow the spread. Vaccination or booster injection.

"If you are not vaccinated, you are at least 10 times more likely to be hospitalized with COVID. Don't take the risk. Get vaccinated," Hochul said. "Get vaccinated. Get promoted. Celebrate the holidays safely."

Hochul also highlighted Pfizer's recent discovery of new Omicron variants.

On Wednesday, Pfizer announced that the enhanced injection provides important protection for the Omicron variant.

"As scientists and public health experts continue to study omicron, this is clear: you should get boosters as soon as possible," Hochul tweeted while sharing Pfizer's news.

According to a CNBC report, Pfizer stated that a preliminary laboratory study showed that enhanced injections can increase the protective effect of antibodies by 25 times.

On Wednesday, Hochl confirmed that in the past 24 hours, 4.27% of statewide test results were positive, and another 40 residents of the Empire State had died from the virus.

Nearly 92% of New Yorkers 18 years of age and older received at least one dose of the vaccine. 79.5 New Yorkers took at least one dose.

The following is the updated 7-day average percentage of positive test results for each region: