Covid positivity rate continues to fall in Orleans, region

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 18 February 2021 at 10:09 am

The percentage of positive Covid-19 tests in Orleans has dropped to 3.1 percent over the past seven days.

A week ago, the 7-day average in Orleans was at 4.7 percent. On Feb. 6, Orleans was at 7.2 percent for the seven-day average, the highest in the nine-county Finger Lakes Region.

The current seven-day positivity average for the nine counties in the region includes:

Genesee, 2.4 percent
Livingston, 2.6 percent
Monroe, 2.1 percent
Ontario, 2.3 percent
Orleans, 3.1 percent
Seneca, 3.2 percent
Wayne, 2.2 percent
Wyoming, 5.3 percent
Yates, 1.0 percent

The Finger Lakes had a 7-day positivity rate for Covid-19 at 10.29 percent on Jan. 5, among the highest in the state. Now it is well below 3 percent. The seven-day average is currently 2.39 percent for the Finger Lakes Region. The Southern Tier has the lowest rate at 0.79 percent while the Mid-Hudson is the highest at 4.40 percent.

This data from the governor’s office shows the 7-day positivity rate for the 10 regions in the state.

State-wide the daily positivity rate was 3.15 percent on Wednesday, the lowest since November 23. The 7-day average positivity rate has declined for 41 straight days, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a news release today.

There were also 6,434 people hospitalized due to Covid on Wednesday, which was down 140 from the previous day and a decline of nearly 3,000 from the 9,273 on Jan. 19.

The Finger Lakes hit a pandemic high with 964 hospitalized due to Covid on Dec. 28. The Covid hospitalizations was down to 265 on Wednesday in the Finger Lakes Region.

“New Yorkers fought through the holiday surge of Covid-19 and came out on the other side, and now that the numbers are decreasing we’re able to loosen the valve and increase economic activity,” Cuomo said. “We’re in a footrace between ongoing new infections and our ability to vaccinate as many New Yorkers as possible, and although we have vaccine distribution sites at the ready throughout the state, we’re limited by available supply. New Yorkers have already had huge burdens to bear, and we’re getting to the light at the end of the tunnel, but we need everyone to double down on the behaviors that make such a difference combatting this pandemic. Wash your hands, wear a mask, stay socially distanced, and be safe.”