RyeCity REVIEW THE
December 10, 2021 | Vol. 9, Number 47 | www.ryecityreview.com
State identifies 4 more omicron variant cases
Comeback kids! Tommy Greenhaw skates pasta Mamaroneck defender in Rye’s season opener on Dec. 3, 2021. The Garnets overcame a two-goal deficit to top the Tigers in overtime. For story, see page 16. Photo/ Mike Smith
Westchester’s bond rating affirmed by Moody’s S&P, Fitch Following nearly four full years of smart, prudent fiscal management by County Executive George Latimer, Westchester’s bond ratings now stand as “stable” by all three major rating agencies. “This is the result of setting a game plan and executing it— no matter what variables were thrown our way,” Latimer said. “When I took office in January 2018, our bond ratings had tak-
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en a hit and were on a path to further downgrades. We had a plan to improve them, and even when COVID-19 hit, we stuck to our plan. Improved ratings means long-term savings for County taxpayers as our fiscal health continues to progress.” Moody’s Investors Service report states: “the stable outlook reflects the likelihood that the County will produce balanced operations in fiscal 2021
through fiscal 2022...” Fitch Rating Agency’s report says, “fiscal improvement reflects management’s ability to eliminate its reliance on one-time budget actions.... Fitch believes that the County has returned to more conservative budget practices, which is evident by recently increased recurring revenues that better align with the County’s pace of spending growth over time.”
Lastly, Standard & Poor’s Global Ratings stated, “Tenured management team and good policies and practices stabilize the County’s credit profile.” With all three major bond rating agencies listing the county in “stable” condition, Latimer looks forward to further improving the county’s fiscal outlook as he begins his second term as county executive. (Submitted)
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Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Dec. 6 the detection of four more confirmed cases of the COVID-19 omicron variant in New York State, for a total of 12 confirmed cases. The cases have been confirmed through sequencing of the SARS-CoV-2 virus by the state Department of Health’s Wadsworth Center. Two of the new cases are from Suffolk County and two are from Oneida County. “Four more cases of the COVID-19 Omicron variant were just identified in New York State,” Hochul said. “With the new variant circulating, the best way to stay safe and prevent serious illness during the holiday season is by getting vaccinated or a booster shot. With more friends and family gathering indoors this time of year, we have the tools to fight this pandemic and you can protect yourself and your loved ones by getting vaccinated and encouraging others to get the shot, and mask up. We will continue to work with local leaders to provide the latest updates and make sure they have what they need to help prevent the spread of this deadly virus.” While none of these cases are related to the recent Anime convention at the Javits Center in New York City, the Health Department still urges anyone who attended to get tested for COVID-19.
“While public health experts are still learning more about this new variant, we continue to encourage all New Yorkers to take precautions against COVID-19,” said Dr. Mary T. Basset, acting state health commissioner. “Get vaccinated, get a booster if you are already fully vaccinated, and continue to wear your mask.” The state Department of Health’s Wadsworth Center Laboratory continues to actively monitor COVID-19 virus samples selected throughout the state to compare sequences and identify circulating and new variants, including omicron. The Health Department also monitors all data submitted to public sequence databases by the many other sequencing laboratories throughout New York State and across the U.S., contributing to a robust and collaborative surveillance program for variant analysis. The Wadsworth Center is currently sequencing COVID-19 virus specimens with a capacity up to approximately 100 per day. Specimens are selected at random from throughout the state to provide surveillance across all geographic locations and data analyzed across the entire sequence of the virus. The analyses include assessment for mutations that indicate variants of concern and variants of interest. (Submitted)