5 new COVID deaths in Cattaraugus County, 59 new cases | News

The mask requirement to add a layer of protection during the holiday season when more people are shopping indoors will be reviewed by the state by January 15.

Since April 2020, COVID-19 has killed 193 county residents. Friday’s deaths included a 68-year-old female and four men aged 38, 47, 63, and 69, respectively.

With 59 new COVID cases, the total number of people infected with the virus has increased to 10,916 since March 2020. Forty-one of the new cases were unvaccinated people and 18 were fully vaccinated.

Cattaraugus County is one of the counties with the highest daily positive rates in terms of COVID-19 testing and the number of cases per 100,000 people. The county vaccination rate is 61.8% of the population over the age of 18 and 52.3% of the total population of the county that has been vaccinated at least once. For the entire state, the average is close to 80%.

Vaccines have been shown to diminish their effectiveness after 6 months or so, causing some breakthrough cases. This is why booster shots are recommended.

There are 541 cases so far in December, including 251 cases this week. In the first 10 days of December, there were 17 deaths, 8 of which were 8 on the first day of the month when there were 100 new cases. In November, there were nearly 2,000 cases and 37 deaths, both of which were record-breaking.

December is on a path that could exceed November in terms of cases and deaths.

Friday’s case included 37 men and 22 women. Of these, 33 occurred in the southeastern part of the county, currently 5,202, accounting for about 47.7% of the total county.

An additional 12 cases originated from the northeastern part of the county, for a total of 2,030 cases. There were 9 new cases, 1,510 in the northwest and 2,174 in the southwest.

The health department is tracking 590 active cases, including 41 in hospital and 602 in contact quarantine.

Mask requirements (or mandatory vaccination programs) relate to almost every building except private residences. The County Health Department is a state executive body.

Dr. Kevin D. Watkins, the county’s director of public health, who has encouraged county residents to vaccinate, wear masks in public places, and obtain booster shots, was absent on Friday and could not comment.

Howard Van Renseller, chairman of the Cattaraugus County Council, said the county would comply with the obligations issued by the governor. “I’m sure people will follow it.”

Unlike Erie County, which issued Maskman Date last month, Cattaraugus County lawmakers and other counties in western New York are hesitant to follow suit. Local councilors thought it should be left to the individual.

VanRensselaer said he and other lawmakers believe people should use their own good judgment. “If you need to wear a mask, you need to,” he said.

He added that lawmakers would be “hammered” if they asked for a mask man date that many people dislike.

Unvaccinated people are not the only ones who need to wear masks in a community of substantial or high communities that are widespread under the CDC guidelines.

Dr. Mary T. Bassett, Deputy State Health Commissioner, said:

“We have the tools we need to protect against viruses, and now we need to make sure they are used,” she said. “There are tools available to each individual and actions that the government can take. Vaccination protects you, and wearing a mask is a way for us to better protect each other. Both vaccination and masking are required to delay the winter surge in COVID-19. “

Vaccination reservations can be made from the Cattaraugus County website at: https://www.cattco.org/covid-vacc-info Alternatively, call the COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline ((716) 701-3777) for assistance.

To register for the free COVID-19 Diagnostic Test through the County Health Department, please visit the following URL online: