Posted on January 5, 2022 by Mihir Zaveri in The New York Times The New York Times, By Mihir Zaveri Hospitals coping with a surge in Covid-19 patients. An economy battered by shutdowns. A housing crisis driving people to homelessness. New York State is confronted with a host of problems as the pandemic continues to inflict an enormous economic and social toll. As part of her first State of the State address on Wednesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul outlined a sweeping set of policies to try to respond to the challenges.