Dr. Hugh Cassiere joined News 12's Elizabeth Hashagen this morning to discuss new developments on COVID-19 vaccines.

Johnson & Johnson, a third COVID-19 vaccine, has started shipping its COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. Millions of people are getting their shots. Fewer Americans are being hospitalized. Yet, public health experts say now is not the time to let your guard down. These variants are a real threat to our people and our progress. Dr. Cassiere talks about what he is seeing right now in the hospitals:

The vast majority of cases involving the New York variant have been confirmed in the New York and New Jersey area. About 735 cases of a coronavirus variant that emerged in New York City in November have now been identified in the U.S., including 585 in the last two weeks, a federal health official said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci says this variant likely started in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan. It is one of five concerning variants now being tracked nationally by health officials. This is what Dr. Cassiere says will help slow the spread:

The FDA just authorized an at-home COVID-19 test for emergency use. The Quidel Quickvue at-home test uses a nasal swab to provide results in just 10 minutes. The test can be used on patients as young as 8 years old. How reliable are these tests? And how good will they be to help stop the spread of the virus? Dr. Cassiere answers: