As trepidation rises across the borough with the average daily number of COVID-19 cases in Queens more than doubling in the past two weeks, according to city data, the Queens Chamber of Commerce announced it will present a special Facebook Live broadcast on Friday.
At 1 p.m. on Friday, July 23, Queens Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Tom Grech will engage in conversation with Department of Health and Mental Hygiene Commissioner Dr. Dave A. Chokshi, who will discuss COVID, the Delta variant and how the vaccine has impacted the Queens business community.
Dr. Jermel Hawkins, senior medical director from Fidelis Care, will join the broadcast and discuss the role Fidelis Care has played in Queens over the past 16 months.
“We are delighted to have the city’s top doctor, Dr. David A. Chokshi, and Dr. Jermel Hawkins of Fidelis Care join us for this important discussion,” Grech said. “COVID-19 has taken a tremendous toll on our borough. Though things are beginning to return to normal, we are not completely out of the woods yet. We look forward to hearing from Dr. Chokshi and Dr. Hawkins about what businesses can do to keep their employees, customers and communities safe.”
On Wednesday, July 21, Chokshi joined Mayor Bill de Blasio to announce that beginning Aug. 2, the city will require proof of vaccination or weekly COVID-19 tests for employees at city-run health care facilities.
“The path to New York City’s recovery runs through vaccination,” Chokshi said. “If you’re vaccinated, virtually every activity is safer and it continues to be the single most important precaution we can take to safely interact with the public and our colleagues.”
He urged other institutions, particularly health care organizations, to consider similar steps to ensure their staff are also vaccinated against COVID-19.
“We all may feel like we’re done with the virus, but the virus is not done with us,” Chokshi warned. “As we have said so many times before, we’ll have to band together as a city, as New Yorkers to keep one another safe.”
You can watch the Chamber of Commerce special broadcast here at 1 p.m. on Friday.
“We are incredibly grateful to Dr. Chokshi and Dr. Hawkins for their leadership during this very difficult time,” Grech said. “And we have tremendous gratitude to all the medical professionals for their heroic efforts battling this virus.”
