Category: COVID19

COVID19, Press release

ERIE COUNTY COVID-19 DATA SHOWS INCREASE IN CASES IN YOUNGER ADULTS

53% of new cases last week were between 20-39 years old,
compared to 30% for all confirmed cases

ERIE COUNTY, NY— The Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH) is reporting a noticeable increase in the percentage of newly confirmed COVID-19 cases among the 20-29 year old and 30-39 year old age groups.
COVID-19 diagnostic tests for Erie County residents have maintained a weekly positivity rate of under 1.5% since early June. Yet within that data, the increasing percentage of younger adults testing positive is
concerning to County officials.


“For all confirmed cases, the percentage of individuals who have tested positive for COVID-19 who in their 20s and 30s is about 30%,” said Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein. “However, for last week’s
data, 54% of new cases – more than half – are seen in those age groups, with nearly one-third of all new cases being in the 20 to 29 age category.” We are also seeing more young adults who are hospitalized.
“Younger adults may be less likely to have severe symptoms, and more likely to go out to crowded locations and large gatherings where one infected person could unknowingly spread COVID-19 to dozens
of others,” continued Dr. Burstein. “That’s a dangerous combination.”
“If this trend continues, it could have dire impacts on our positivity rates and hospitalization numbers, and affect our ability to stay in Phase 4 of NY Forward and open schools,” said County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “Younger adults are not invincible and could pass on the disease to others who are more at- risk for being hospitalized or even dying from contracting COVID-19. COVID-19 is still in our community, and we all have a responsibility to protect ourselves and each other from this disease.”

Confirmed new COVID-19 cases by age group for the week ending July 11, 2020:

All Erie County residents should:
• Wear a mask when you can’t maintain physical distancing of at least 6 feet
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and running water
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects
• Avoid large gatherings
• Avoid travel to states listed in the NYS Joint Travel Advisory; if travel is unavoidable, quarantine
for 14 days upon returning to New York
• Stay home if you feel ill
• Consider a diagnostic COVID-19 test. These are available at no cost through ECDOH. Call (716) 858-2929 to schedule, or visit http://www.erie.gov/covidtestsites for a location near you. ECDOH recommends a diagnostic test for anyone who feels they are at risk for COVID-19, those with a recent travel history to states with a high level of community transmission, close contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases, and people who have COVID-19 symptoms.

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Erie County Department of Health COVID-19 Information Line – Schedule a Diagnostic Test: (716) 858-2929
Erie County Department of Health, COVID-19 test sites: www.erie.gov/covidtestsites
Erie County Department of Health, COVID-19 data and map: www.erie.gov/covidmap

2019-nCov, COVID19, Local News, Pandemic COVID19

ERIE COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH REMINDS RESIDENTS OF TRAVEL ADVISORY

Slow the spread of COVID-19 in New York State by preventing travel-based transmission of this disease

ERIE COUNTY, NY— Governors in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut announced a travel advisory on June 25, 2020 that requires all individuals traveling from states with significant community transmission of COVID-19 to remain under quarantine for a period of 14 days. As of today, June 30, those states include

Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Arkansas, California,Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Nevada, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah.

The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) has established exemptions for essential workers, but in general, people who are returning to Erie County from those listed states are required to remain under precautionary quarantine. Those requirements include:
• Separate quarters with separate bathroom facilities for each individual or family group.
Access to a sink with soap and water, and paper towels is needed.
• The contact must have a way to self-quarantine from household members as soon as fever or other symptoms develop, in a separate room. There must be a door that separates it
from the rest of the living area and has its own bathroom. Given that an exposed individual might become ill while sleeping, the exposed individual must sleep in a separate bedroom from household members.
• Cleaning supplies, e.g. household cleaning wipes, must be provided in any shared bathroom.
• If an individual sharing a bathroom becomes symptomatic, all others sharing the bathroom will be considered exposed persons until the symptomatic individual is appropriately evaluated and cleared.
• Food must be delivered to the individual’s quarters

• Quarters must have a supply of face masks for individuals to put on if they become symptomatic.
• Garbage must be bagged and left outside by the door of each of the quarters for routine pick up. Special handling is not required.
• Individuals should self-monitor for fever and other symptoms of COVID-19 daily throughout the duration of the quarantine period.
Individuals or businesses with questions about this advisory should contact NYSDOH.
“If you are planning a trip, we are urging you to avoid travel to states or regions where there is a high prevalence of COVID-19,” said Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein. “The number of reported Erie County COVID-19 cases is currently low. We must avoid importing new cases from outside of NYS which can lead to COVID-19 community transmission and new outbreaks in Erie County.” She continued, “We have done so much to reduce the number of cases in our community these past months, and we need to keep at it. Travelers who return from a high-risk state can contact
our COVID-19 Information Line at (716) 858-2929 to report their travel as soon as they return and to schedule a free COVID-19 diagnostic test, 5-7 days past your last day in one of those states.”
To file a report of an individual failing to adhere to the quarantine pursuant to the travel advisory, please call 1-833-789-0470 or use the form on the ECDOH web site
[www.erie.gov/covid19/travelform].
Per New York State, anyone who returns from a high-risk state from non-essential travel will not be eligible to receive paid sick leave benefits for their quarantine period.

COVID19, Feature Stories

Tales from the End of the Road; Living through COVID19 in Key West Part 7

May 10, 2020:

Quarantine Day 54:

Today is Mother’s Day, which is always a very busy day for me. I consider myself to have five mother figures in my life, and I try to connect with each of them throughout the day, in some semblance of seniority.

Five women, four calls. I can talk for hours on a phone, so you do whatever rough math you have to do in your head and give me a rough estimate of how many hours I spent chatting on the phone today. Good thing the unemployment office was closed. Continue reading “Tales from the End of the Road; Living through COVID19 in Key West Part 7” →