It has been a year since the first case of the coronavirus was reported in New York City. Now, Dr. Rossi Hassad is addressing where we could be headed next. 

“COVID-19 defied logic of public health and medicine,” said Dr. Hassad. 

With over half a million deaths from COVID-19 in the United States alone, Dr. Hassad says one of the main reasons it was so bad is because health officials waited too long to recommend mask-wearing. 

“Common sense was telling us that facial protection would help, but there was a very long delay in coming to that realization,” said Dr. Hassad. 

He says thanks to the Pfizer, Moderna and now the Johnson and Johnson vaccines, we may be close to getting life back to normal. 

“With the end of the spring and the summer, we expect to see a further decline coupled with the fact that a significant proportion of the population will be vaccinated by that time,” said Dr. Hassad. 

Dr. Hassad says New York City saw 3,000 cases Monday and a positivity rate of about 6%. He says we’re not out of the woods just yet. 

He says that with the discovery of new strains and low vaccination numbers in communities of color, there are still hurdles in the fight against the virus. 

“Having a vaccine now is clearly a strong guard against any variant that could arise... Now is not the time to let our guard down,” said Dr. Hassad. 

The doctor is reminding New Yorkers that even if you are fully vaccinated, you're likely protected from getting sick but you may still be able to spread the virus to others.