New York’s Spring of Optimism: Finally, the Second Virus Wave Is Ebbing

Virus cases and rates are plunging, and vaccination is rising, but one doctor cautioned, “We still have a long way to go.”

After months of persistently high coronavirus caseloads, New York City appears to have finally reached a turning point. The city’s second wave is ebbing, a half-year after it began, New York City’s health commissioner, Dr. Dave Chokshi, said. Throughout April, virus cases, hospitalizations and deaths have all been declining, which epidemiologists attribute to the climbing rate of vaccination as well as the arrival of warm weather, drawing people outdoors. From a second-wave peak of nearly 8,000 cases in a single day in January, New York City is now averaging about 2,000 virus cases per day. Public health officials say that by July, if the city stays on its current trajectory, that number could drop to below 600 cases a day, perhaps lower.