ALBANY, New York: As COVID-19 cases surged 17 percent last week, and parts of the state faced some of the worst BA.2 sub-variant outbreaks in the U.S., New York health officials have renewed calls for indoor mask wearing in the state’s central region.

In the week ending April 3, New York reported 22,654 COVID cases, up from 19,377 the previous week.

Amidst the rise in infections, the state Health Department issued an alert recommending mask wearing, regardless of vaccination status in all public indoor spaces in Cayuga, Cortland, Madison, Onondaga and Oswego counties. New York ended its indoor mask mandates for public places and schools on 10th February and 2nd March, respectively.

According to a USA TODAY Network analysis of Johns Hopkins University data, overall, New York ranked ninth among the states where COVID-19 was spreading the fastest last week.

In contrast, COVID-19 cases decreased nearly 10 percent around the country, with nearly 196,000 cases reported, while hospitalizations, which remain a crucial metric to gauging the virus’ spread, have also begun ticking upwards in many parts of New York, with the statewide tally last week hitting 2,190, up from 2,002 the prior week.

In a statement, Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said COVID-19 trends in Central New York “suggests that transmission of the virus is widespread throughout the region.”

“The good news is we have tools to address this. I urge all New Yorkers to remain vigilant and take steps to protect themselves and their families,” she added, noting that people should get a COVID-19 vaccine and booster dose, when eligible.

Last week, many other counties across the Hudson Valley, Finger Lakes, Mohawk Valley and Southern Tier also experienced major surges in COVID-19 cases, ranging from 30 percent to nearly 70 percent surges.

“Treatment is widely available and works best if taken within five days of symptom onset, so get tested quickly after symptoms arise,” Bassett said.

New York is the fourth state to surpass the 5 million COVID-19 cases mark, behind California with 9.1 million, Texas with 6.7 million and Florida with 5.9 million.

Nationally, there has been 80,155,397 positive tests and 982,565 deaths.