Video, Audio, Photos & Rush Transcript: as Measles Cases Spread, Governor Hochul Launches New Web Portal to Support Access to Vaccines and Public Health Information

Earlier today, Governor Kathy Hochul launched a new web portal to support access to vaccines and public health information in the wake of measles cases in New York State. The Governor joined State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald to update New Yorkers on the cases and they emphasized the importance of staying informed and ensuring that everyone is up-to-date with all recommended immunizations. There have been four total cases of measles in New York State so far this year, three in New York City and one in Suffolk County. None of the cases this year are related to each other or connected to the outbreaks in Texas and New Mexico. The risk of measles to New Yorkers from these outbreaks is low.

VIDEO: The event is available to stream on YouTube here and TV quality video is available here (h.264, mp4).

AUDIO: The Governor’s remarks are available in audio form here.

PHOTOS: The Governor’s Flickr page will post photos of the event here.

A rush transcript of the Governor’s remarks is available below:

Good afternoon. When I first took office as Governor, New York was weathering one of the most severe public health crises in our lifetimes. COVID was in every corner of the state, Omicron was surging. We listened to the scientists — the experts — and we put shots in arms, and together we conquered the pandemic and saved countless lives.

Much of that work was done because of the incredible, dedicated, underappreciated by many, staff here at Wadsworth, and I want to thank them always for being on the front line during those dark, dark days, and the sleepless nights and long, long months of research and making sure we had supply of our vaccinations, but also what they're doing now. And I want to thank especially Dr. Leonard Peruski, our Director, and I want to recognize him for leading an incredible team here as well.

I'm also joined by Dr. McDonald, our Commissioner of Health, I'll be introducing him momentarily, and Kathyrn Garcia, the Head of State Operations.

We're here today at Wadsworth because since the beginning of the year, New York has now reported four individual cases of measles. Now, this cannot be classified as an outbreak. We know how to handle this. We do not have another pandemic on our hands, but at this early stage, I thought it was important to sound the alarm to provide New Yorkers information and share our plan for stopping the spread of this disease any further.

First, here are the facts. Like I said, we have four individual cases that we believe are unrelated — three in New York City, one in Suffolk County. Now, these numbers themselves are not inherently a cause for concern — and, for example, in 2024, we had 15 cases — but nationwide, we're seeing very concerning trends: 350 measles cases around the country, 81 percent right now are part of an outbreak in West Texas.

Of those sick in West Texas, three quarters are unvaccinated. And also, of great concern to us as a border state to Canada, there are 350 cases reported since last fall in Ontario, literally right across the border from our state. So, the good news is we're alert, we're vigilant, we're watching, but also we have the power to stop any outbreak. It rests in our hands.

Now the measles vaccine is remarkably effective. According to the CDC, two doses of the MMR vaccine have a 97 percent effective weight rate, and this is available to all. Now, children get the shots, but also, if you're not sure if you had a shot when you were a child, you should see your doctor. There's no danger in talking to your doctor about possibly getting immunized once again. And if you have your vaccination, the overwhelming evidence is that you'll be safe. It's the only thing to do. It's smart. It's responsible for young people, the elderly, the immunocompromised — those are especially vulnerable individuals.

So, it's also not just protecting yourself — similar to the COVID vaccine — it's about protecting your community, and this is what the doctor will be speaking about momentarily as well. I know vaccinations have, for some reason, become a very divisive topic in recent years. It pains me to think that in the year 2025, that we're still debating whether vaccinations are safe when, in fact, the scientific evidence is overwhelming.

I want to speak directly to the leaders of our state, our clergy, the activists, the mentors — those who are looked up to as the pillars of our communities, who are really the ones who are the honest brokers, the ones who speak truth and people listen. I want them to help us take on this threat by helping get more information about vaccinations and literally getting shots in arms. Help us encourage everyday New Yorkers who want only the best for their families to get the vaccination because there are numbers that are still deeply troubling.

I look at the numbers of our state: Orange County, 64.9 percent are vaccinated; Yates County, only 55.8 percent are vaccinated; now the majority overall, 81 percent for the State of New York — that's a good number, it should be a higher number because otherwise, again, we are exposed. West Texas may seem like a long way off. Ontario is just across the border, and that is what people need to be aware of and why we're being so vigilant at this time.

But, I know a little bit about this because as a mom, I took my kids to those shots. I'd listen to them cry, but I knew it was very, very important for their long-term health, and that's why we do what we do, looking out for our most precious — the most precious individuals in our world to us are our children. And I want to make sure that people know that when wrong information is being disseminated, that the truth tellers stand up and say, “No, that is not accurate.”

Now, our concern also lies with the fact that the Health and Human Services Secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is the nation's leading vaccination skeptic. He's been quoted as saying that cod liver oil has been very good at getting results for people who are sick with measles. Do you agree with that, Dr. McDonald?

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All right, it's terrible. You heard it from Dr. McDonald, “it is terrible.” That is wrong. Cod liver oil will not protect you from measles. It's baseless, it's irresponsible and puts lives at risk. He also said the decision to vaccinate is a personal one. A personal decision is what are you going to do tonight for dinner? What are your weekend plans? What's for lunch? Those are personal decisions, but when it comes to the overall health of our state and the people we love, it's much larger than a “personal decision.”

Let me end with this. We've had measles available since 1963. The vaccination has been determined to have saved 60 million lives over the last 20 years alone, 60 million lives. That's extraordinary. We cannot go backwards in this time of fear and disinformation. It'll only wreak havoc on our state. So I'm encouraging everyone, let's go forward together into an era where we actually respect the doctors, and the researchers and scientific advancement so no child ever has to suffer the effects of a 104 degree fever or the pain of a burning rash.

We can make our society free from this, or at least our state. That's what I'm calling on all New Yorkers. If you've not been vaccinated, your child's not vaccinated, please step up and get it done. Adults, if you're not sure, there's no harm in asking again. And for anyone looking for more information, we ask you to visit our website, ny.gov/measles.

Now I'd like to invite Commissioner McDonald to speak about his experience as a doctor.