Press Release, Supportive Care of Orleans

Julie Kumiega

ALBION – Supportive Care of Orleans, formerly Hospice of Orleans, is pleased to welcome Julie Kumiega as its new chief executive officer.

Kumiega’s first day was Jan. 1 and she hit the ground running, meeting with former director Elisa Chambery. Having taken on the position as CEO in June 2021, Chambery has announced her retirement from healthcare; her last day will be Jan. 20.

Working in the health care industry all her adult life, Kumiega was the director of patient services at the Alzheimer’s Association-WNY before serving as an administrator at both Heathwood Assisted Living & Memory Care and Elderwood in Williamsville.

“I always wanted to help people,” Kumiega said. “I started out with my undergrad in psychology and from there my passion grew.”

Kumiega graduated from the University of Phoenix in 2008 with her master’s in health administration and currently plans to have her doctorate in health administration by the end of 2023.

Born and raised in Corfu, Kumiega says this small rural county and hospice hold a special place in her heart.

“It has been a huge passion of mine to make healthcare more accessible for patients, families, and staff,” Kumiega said. “Supportive Care of Orleans is one way I can help.”

Dedicated to supporting the community, the staff, our patients, and their families during a difficult end of life journey, Kumiega said it is her goal to assist in providing supportive care opportunities to all.

Test kits also can be picked up at County Office Building

Press Release, Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments

ALBION – New York State has provided Orleans County Emergency Management Office with free at-home Covid test kits to distribute to residents.

Starting Thursday, Jan. 6, each town hall and the Orleans County Office Building will have a limited supply of Covid test kits to distribute to their residents during normal business hours until the kits are gone.

Please note all the school districts have received kits for their students and will distribute according to their respective plans.  A maximum of two kits per family will be distributed at the following locations:

• Orleans County Office Building: Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Albion Town Hall: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 8:30 to 11 a.m. and noon to 3 p.m.
• Albion Village Hall: Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Barre Town Hall: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
• Carlton Town Hall: Tuesday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon
• Clarendon Town Hall: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Tuesday from noon to 6 p.m.; Friday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and Saturday from 10 a.m. to noon
• Gaines Town Hall: Monday-Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.; Monday from 5 to 7 p.m.
• Holley Village Hall: Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Kendall Town Hall: Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. (closed from noon to 12:45 p.m.)
• Lyndonville Village Hall: Monday-Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. (closed daily from 12:30 to 1 p.m.)
• Medina Village Hall: Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Murray Town Hall: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon
• Ridgeway Town Hall: Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Shelby: Monday-Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Yates Town Hall: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

To report a positive at-home test:

Individuals can visit the GO Health website Covid-19 Testing page under Emerging Issues (GOHealthNY.org) and choose the appropriate Home Test button for their respective county.

Individuals should complete the at-home tests according to the directions provided. When the test is completed, individuals should take a picture with the individual’s name, the date and the time they took the test legibly written in permanent marker within 15 minutes of reading the test.

Towards the end of the online form, the individual will be required to upload the picture on the website and attest to the authenticity and truth of the form. If there are any missing sections that are required, the form is invalid. At this time, individuals do not need to report negative at-home test results.

Anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 is to self-isolate immediately. A case investigator will contact the individual to determine any potential contacts, check on the individual’s health and provide guidance on their isolation.

Please answer the phone and be able to provide information regarding potential contacts when called. Also note, depending on our caseload, it may be one to three days before you are called.  It is important to continue with self-isolation from household members as much as you are able. If you must share space, make sure all in contact with you are wearing masks covering their nose and mouth and frequently shared items/surfaces are sanitized often.

5 Covid-related deaths reported since Dec. 30 in Genesee-Orleans

The active Covid cases is up in Orleans and Genesee counties, and the two counties also have five more Covid-related deaths since the last update on Dec. 30 from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.

Genesee has four deaths – one under age 65 and three over 65, and now has 162 Covid-related deaths since the pandemic started in March 2020.

Orleans has one more Covid-related death, a person over age 65, and now has had 104 residents pass away from Covid during the pandemic.

The number of active cases in the two counties also has increased from 130 in Orleans a week ago to 298 today. Genesee is up from 218 to 272 in the past seven days.

In Orleans County there are 158 new positive cases (with 51 from home tests) since Thursday. There are also 73 more recoveries or people who completed their 10-day isolation and have been removed from mandatory isolation.

In Genesee County, there are 211 new cases and 207 more recoveries since Thursday. Genesee also passed a milestone with its 10,000 case of Covid during the pandemic. The county has now had 10,198 confirmed cases.

The number of hospitalizations since last Thursday (Dec. 30) have increased from four to six in Orleans, while Genesee has dropped from 28 to 22, according to the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.

New York State made it four straight days of setting a new record for Covid cases. There were 85,476 new cases on Friday, which followed 76,555 on Thursday, 74,207 on Wednesday and 67,090 on Tuesday.

The 85,476 positive cases on Friday are out of 384,365 reported tests for a positivity rate of 22.24 percent.

Those positive tests include 46 in Orleans – out of 427 tests for a positivity rate of 10.8 percent. Genesee has 91 more positives out of 506 tests for a rate of 18.0 percent.

The state’s 7-day positivity rate is at 19.79 percent. Locally the positivity rate over the past 7 days is 14.1 percent in Genesee and 11.9 percent in Orleans.

Only two of the 62 counties in the state under 10 percent: Chenango at 9.6 percent and Tompkins at 8.6 percent.

Long Island has the highest positivity rate at 22.69 percent followed by New York City at 20.56 percent. The nine-county Finger Lakes region, which includes Genesee and Orleans, is at 15.68 percent.

“As we fight the winter surge, we need to keep the most vulnerable among us in mind – do what you can to keep others in your community safe from Covid-19,” Governor Hochul said in a Covid update. “Wear a mask, wash your hands, and take advantage of the best tool we have at our disposal – the vaccine. If you haven’t gotten your second dose, do so as soon as possible and get your booster if you’re eligible. We will continue to make vaccines, boosters and testing more widely available as part of our Winter Surge Plan so we can continue to keep each other safe.”

The state also reported today that hospitalizations from Covid increased by 532 to 8,451. The hospitalizations five days earlier on Sunday were at 5,526. On Dec. 17 there were 3,909 hospitalized from Covid.

SUNY students will need booster; mask or vax mandate extended to Feb. 1

Press Release, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced Winter Surge Plan 2.0, a new targeted effort to bolster New York’s fight against the winter surge.

Hochul’s comprehensive plan focuses on five core areas: keeping students in school, doubling down on masks and testing, preventing severe illness and death, increasing access to vaccines and boosters, and working together with local leaders. Hours before the New Year begins, Governor Hochul also urged New Yorkers to celebrate New Year’s Eve in a safe, responsible way.

“As we head into the holiday weekend, New York State is mobilizing every resource at our disposal to fight the winter surge and keep New Yorkers safe,” Governor Hochul said. “We can get through this surge through targeted actions, partnerships with local leaders, and by taking common sense steps to keep us all safe: get vaccinated, get boosted, and wear a mask indoors.”

1. Keep Schools Open: After two years of remote learning and school closures, Governor Hochul is focused on keeping students in school in the upcoming year. The first plank of Governor Hochul’s 5-part plan includes:

• Providing tests to students and school districts: 5.56 million tests arrived for schools this week and between six and seven million more are expected to arrive in the coming days. New York has mobilized 40 trucks and 86 state personnel to distribute tests. Overall, New York State has secured 37 million tests for distribution.
• Working with counties to implement Test-to-Stay: Test-to-Stay policies have proven successful at keeping our kids safe and schools open. If a student tests positive, classmates can take a test kit back home with them and return to the classroom upon receiving a negative result instead of mandatory quarantining.
• Keeping college students and faculty safe: SUNY and CUNY will be introducing a new requirement for all students to get boosters, campuses will require mandatory mask wearing in public indoor spaces, and will require all faculty to be vaccinated. Students will also be required to submit negative tests upon returning to campus.

2. Keep Masking, Keep Testing: Governor Hochul recognizes that to stop the spread of the virus, New Yorkers must continue wearing masks and getting tested for Covid. Governor Hochul will:

• Extend the mask-or-vax requirement: the Department of Health will extend the mask-or-vaccine requirement for an additional two weeks to Feb. 1, protecting workers and allowing businesses to remain open.
• Make masks more widely available: New York State has already distributed 5 million KN-95 masks, and more will be distributed through state legislators. Hundreds of thousands of masks will also be distributed for nursing home visitors.
• Launch new testing sites: Governor Hochul will open six new testing sites on January 4, totaling 19 state-run sites statewide. Additionally, Governor Hochul announced the launch of two new testing sites at MTA stations, in addition to previously announced MTA pop-ups.

3. Preventing Severe Illness and Death: With case counts rising, Governor Hochul is making it a priority to prevent severe illness and death by supporting our hospital system. The Winter Surge Plan 2.0 will:

• Distribute antiviral treatments: New York is working with the Biden Administration to secure doses of the antiviral drug Pavloxid and make this treatment more widely available.
• Boost hospital capacity: Governor Hochul will continue enforcing the November 26 Executive • Order to boost hospital capacity. Since it took effect, the number of hospitals with limited capacity needing to pause non-essential surgeries has declined from 32 to 21.
• Launch National Guard EMT training: to ramp up our long-term health care workforce capacity needs, the Department of Health and the Division of Military and Naval Affairs will be launching two pilot EMT training classes on January 5th. This will cover two classes of 40 service members (80 service members in total) who will be able to be deployed by February.
• Secure additional help from Federal partners: in the coming days, we will receive federal Department of Defense (DoD) Medical Response and Disaster Medical Assistance Teams (DMATs). This will include a 35-member DMAT to SUNY Upstate in Syracuse, 23-member DoD Medical Response Team to Erie County Medical Center in Buffalo, and 50 new ambulance teams deployed to NYC.
• Protect nursing home residents and workers: the Hochul Administration is in constant contact with all 606 nursing homes in New York and will be providing them with additional PPE to ensure the safety of all patients and staff. Additionally, the Administration is coordinating with hospitals and will be deploying durable medical equipment in continued support of the care for all New Yorkers.

4. Expand Access to Vaccines and Boosters: Vaccines continue to be the best defense against Covid hospitalization and death. While 95% of adult New Yorkers have received at least one shot, there’s more to do to increase vaccination and booster rates, especially among children:

• Provide boosters to nursing homes: New York will begin requiring each nursing home to demonstrate their plan to increase vaccination and booster rates among their residents.
• Increase pediatric vaccination: the most unvaccinated eligible cohort is New Yorkers aged 5-11. New York will increase our focus on pediatric vaccination.
• Get booster shots to teenagers: we anticipate approval of Pfizer’s booster shot for children aged 12-15 and will immediately begin outreach to that population once ready.

5. Work With Local Partners: From the beginning, Governor Hochul has emphasized that the fight against COVID must take a collaborative approach. Fighting the winter surge requires close collaboration with local partners:

• Let local leaders lead: from New York City to Erie County, local leaders are making smart choices. We will continue this surgical, targeted approach.
• Provide resources to local partners: Governor Hochul will continue to lead a whole-of-government approach to fight Covid, making sure county emergency managers and local school boards have the tests and masks they need.

“We have every tool to keep our families and communities safe,” Acting State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said. “We must ensure we use them all. Governor Hochul’s targeted plan to expand vaccination and booster access, mask and test, and increase measures to protect our health care workers is the comprehensive strategy needed to combat the fast-spreading Omicron variant. Leveraging these layered mitigation tactics is how we will protect the health of New Yorkers and effectively manage the winter surge.”

State sets new pandemic high with 74K new cases in one day

The number of active Covid cases in Orleans and Genesee counties is back on the rise after a brief reprieve.

The active cases in Orleans are up from 130 on Monday to 215 today, and from 218 on Monday in Genesee County to 272 today. (A week ago there were 211 cases in Orleans and 231 in Genesee.)

The state hit a record high for new cases in one day with 74,207 on Wednesday. Those results were reported today by Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office.

That passes the 67,090 on Tuesday. Before that the record was 49,708 positive tests on Dec. 24.

New York City, with 43,985 new cases on Wednesday, has the majority of the record 74,207 cases in the state. Long Island also is seeing a surge in cases with 5,772 new cases in Suffolk and 6,861 in Nassau.

Closer to Orleans, there were 1,290 new cases on Wednesday in Monroe County, 2,252 in Erie County and 376 in Niagara. There were 66 in Genesee and 34 in Orleans.

In the past three days there have been 159 new positive cases (20 home tests) in Orleans County. There have been 66 more recoveries or people who completed their 10-day isolation and have been removed from mandatory isolation.

In Genesee, there are 219 new positive cases (34 from home tests) since Monday. There have been 155 more recoveries since Monday.

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments also is reporting four people are hospitalized in Orleans due to Covid and Genesee has 28 residents in the hospital from Covid.

Three residents from Genesee County also have passed away from Covid, bringing the total deaths in the county from Co vid to 158 since the pandemic started in March 2020.

Testing will be offered at campus center through next week

Photo by Tom Rivers: The sign at the entryway of the GCC campus center in Albion directs people down the hall for Covid test. The service started today and will continue through the end of next week.

ALBION – A free Covid testing site started today at the GCC campus center in Albion. It will continue Thursday and Friday this week, and Monday through Saturday next week. The testing site at 456 West Ave. is open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

It’s one of 13 new testing sites being paid for by the state to help identify people who are positive for Covid so they can isolate and not spread the virus.

The site offers tests by appointment, as well as walk-ins. It will offer RT-PCR testing. Rapid antigen and rapid PCR tests will also be available within a few days of opening, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said. Click here for more information about making an appointment.

The state set a new pandemic record for positive Covid tests on Tuesday who 67,090. That passes 49,708 positive tests on Dec. 24.

The positive tests on Tuesday included 41 in Orleans County and 84 in Genesee.

On Tuesday, the percentage of tests that were positive was 18.50 state-wide. The 7-day average state-wide for positive tests is now 14.61 percent.

Orleans about three weeks ago had the highest positvity rate in the state, but now is much lower. The percent of positive tests over 7 days in Orleans County is at 8.2 percent and in Genesee it’s 9.5 percent.

The number of active Covid cases and hospitalizations is down significantly after hitting a pandemic high for cases earlier this month.

Orleans County today has 130 active cases, which is down from 211 on Thursday and 334 on Dec. 9. The 130 active cases today is 61 percent of the record high of 334 only 18 days ago.

Genesee County also is seeing a decline, at 218 today which is down from 231 on Dec. 23 and 275 on Dec. 20.

The number of people hospitalized due to Covid also is on the decline. Orleans has four hospitalized today due to Covid, which is down from nine on Dec. 23, 12 on Dec. 20 and 17 on Dec. 2.

Genesee County has 27 people hospitalized from Covid, which is down from 29 on Dec. 23, 35 on Dec. 20 and 39 on Dec. 2.

State-wide hospitalizations due to Covid was at 5,526 on Sunday, up by 635 in two days, and up from the 3,909 on Dec. 17.

The active cases are going down because new positive cases are less than people recovering or completing their 10-day isolation and being removed from mandatory isolation.

Orleans County has 50 new cases since Thursday, and 126 more recoveries.

Genesee County has 92 new cases since Thursday and 105 more people who completed their 10-day isolation and have been removed from mandatory isolation.

New York State is seeing a surge in new cases with 26,737 more positive tests on Sunday and a positivity rate of 16.04 percent. The seven-day average for positive tests is at 12.41 percent in the state. That is higher than the 7.8 percent in Orleans and 9.1 percent in Genesee.

Positivity rate dropping in Orleans, Genesee

New York State set a new pandemic record for most new Covid cases in one day with 49,708 positive tests on Dec. 24. That passed the record set the day before with 44,431 new positive Covid cases.

The state also had 36,454 new cases reported on Saturday, which was Christmas. Those new cases included 7 in Orleans and 14 in Genesee.

Although the total number of new cases was down, the percent of positive tests increased from 12.4 percent on Friday to 14.2 percent on Saturday.

The percentage of positive tests in the past 7 days is 11.70 percent state-wide. Orleans and Genesee, which were near the top for highest positivity rates only two weeks ago, now are below the state rate. In Orleans, the 7-day positivity rate ending Dec. 24, is 8.9 percent and Genesee is at 9.7 percent.

“As we come home from holiday gatherings, it is as important as ever to take precautions to limit the spread of Covid-19 this season,” Governor Hochul said in a statement today. “Wear your mask, wash your hands, and if you haven’t yet, get vaccinated and boosted. The vaccine is the best tool we have to keep ourselves and our loved ones safe as we head into the new year. Take advantage of having it readily available and get yours today.”

The state will be running a Covid testing clinic this week from Monday through Saturday at the GCC campus center on Route 31 in Albion. The GCC site will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Monday through Saturday.

The site will offer tests by appointment, as well as walk-ins. Upon launch, all sites will offer RT-PCR testing. Rapid antigen and rapid PCR tests will also be available within a few days of opening, Hochul’s office said.

Starting on Monday, New Yorkers can make an appointment for a Covid-19 test by clicking here.

New York State set a new record high for Covid cases in one day with 38,835 on Wednesday. That obliterated the previous high, 28,924 on Tuesday. Just two days earlier on Sunday the record high was 23,391.

The surge is driven by New York City (22,808 cases on Wednesday) and Long Island (6,950 cases on Wednesday).

In New York City the percentage of Covid tests that were positive was 12.2 percent on Wednesday and Long Island was at 12.2 percent.

Orleans and Genesee were near the highest in the state two weeks ago but now are near the state average. The 7-day positivity rate in Orleans is 9.6 percent while Genesee is 9.8 percent. The state’s 7-day percent positive is 9.5 percent.

Orleans and Genesee both have a decline in the number of active Covid cases since the last update from the local health department on Monday.

Genesee is down from 275 to 231 and Orleans declined from 216 to 211.

Orleans County is reporting 72 new positive cases (1 from a home test) since Monday, and 74 more recoveries or people who completed their 10-day isolation and have been removed from mandatory isolation.

Genesee is reporting 109 new positive cases (0 from home tests) since Monday, and 144 more recoveries.

Genesee has 29 residents hospitalized due to Covid and Orleans has nine in the hospital.

Orleans also has had three more residents die from Covid in the past week. Orleans has now had 103 residents die from Covid during the nearly two years of the pandemic.

Genesee is reporting one more death in the past week and has now had 152 residents die from Covid during the pandemic.

‘Our staff has weathered extreme heat, freezing rain and snow to provide these tests’

MEDINA – Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, Orleans Community Health has been actively working alongside the Orleans County Health Department to assist with community testing.

To date, Orleans Community Health has conducted nearly 30,000 tests, 90 percent of which were free to the public, according to Scott Robinson, director of marketing, education and outreach.

Marc Shurtz

For convenience, these tests have been conducted at the Albion clinic drive-thru, a feature that was developed and constructed for this primary purpose by Orleans Community Health.

These tests have been part of a federal program that was provided through New York state and the Orleans County Health Department. Due to supply shortages and back orders, there may not be enough of these free tests to get through the remainder of the calendar year, OCH reports.

“Our staff has weathered extreme heat, freezing rain and snow to provide these tests,” said Marc Shurtz, CEO of Orleans Community Health. “We have been in constant communication with the Orleans County Health Department to help fill this void.”

“On behalf of the Orleans County Health Department, we are grateful for the great partnerships we have with Orleans Community Health, Oak Orchard Health, pharmacies and providers,” said Paul Pettit, director of Genesee and Orleans Health departments. “With the limited supply of testing supplies sent to rural areas, it again burdens our residents and makes it challenging for them to get tested before attending family gatherings during the holiday. We are doing our best to get access to rapid tests to meet the needs of our residents.”

In lieu of these tests becoming available, Orleans Community Health Department and Orleans Community Health are working diligently on getting a low-cost option to the community. Residents are being asked to continue calling the Orleans Community Health Albion clinic for updates. Additionally, updates will be provided on the Orleans Community Health social medical accounts. The Albion clinic still has the PCR Covid-19 test available, which is run through the laboratory and requires a script written by a provider. Unfortunately, these tests are more time consuming and will reduce the amount of testing that can be conducted.

Orleans Community Health and Orleans County Health Department will continue to work together to make sure the larger community is getting the resources they need to stay healthy., Conversations with state and federal elected officials are ongoing, as they are aware of the shortage and the need for more affordable and free tests.

Both Orleans Community Health and Orleans County Health Department continue to recommend all eligible members of the community to get vaccinated and receive their boosters.

For Orleans County, clinics are held once a week at the Orleans County Health Department, located at 14016 Rt. 31 West, Albion. Registration is required for all vaccinations. Children aged 5 to 17 are to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. Click here for more information about making an appointment.

Those who are 60 and older without internet access can contact the Office for the Aging at (585) 589-3191 between 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. and leave a message. If you get a voicemail, someone will return the call. The OFA can only assist with the clinic links, as they are available.

Governor Hochul announced on Dec. 20 that each county would receive free at-home Covid-19 test kits. The exact date these kits will be received is not known, but they will be distributed to the County Emergency Management Office.

Once the EMO receives them, they will be distributed to schools, libraries, fire halls and community-based organizations, etc. This information will be announced to the public when the county receives the test kits.

Press Release, Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health) are pleased to announce that we will now be able to accept at-home Covid-19 tests.

“We have developed an online form for residents to report a positive test result after taking an at-home Covid-19 test,” said Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for GO Health.

Positive test results are to be reported to the Health Department within 24 hours of completing the at-home test. Individuals can visit the GO Health website Covid-19 Testing page under Emerging Issues (GOHealthNY.org) and choose the appropriate Home Test button for their respective county.

Individuals should complete the at-home tests according to the directions provided. When the test is completed, individuals should take a picture with the individual’s name, the date and the time they took the test legibly written on the test within 15 minutes of reading the results. Towards the end of the online form, the individual will be required to upload the picture on the website and attest to the authenticity and truth of the form.  If there are any missing sections that are required, the form is invalid.  At this time, individuals do not need to report negative at-home test results.

Anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 is to self-isolate for at least 10 days. A case investigator will contact the individual to determine any potential contacts, check on the individual’s health and provide guidance on their isolation. Please answer the phone and be able to provide information regarding potential contacts when called. Also note, depending on our case load, it may be a day or two before you are called.

It is important to continue with self-isolation from household members as much as you are able. If you must share space, make sure all in contact with you are wearing masks covering their nose and mouth and frequently shared items/surfaces are sanitized often.

Please note home testing may not be accepted for travel or events. Check with your travel/event planner for what is acceptable.

For information on Covid-19 testing, click here or click here.

ALBION – Orleans County is spending $10,482 in a $150,000 regional campaign to boost vaccination rates to slow the increase in Covid cases.

The County Legislature on Monday agreed to spending, which will come from a portion of the federal American Rescue Plan money sent to the county.

One Legislator, Don Allport, opposed the move because he didn’t want “government to go after individuals” who have decided not to get vaccinated.

Allport said everyone knows about Covid which has dominated the news for nearly two years.

“It’s hard to believe anyone doesn’t know what’s going on with Covid,” he said. “Whether it’s federal, state or local money, it’s taxpayer money.”

Legislator Ken DeRoller said there is much misinformation and “a political twist” about vaccines and fighting Covid.

“We’re not getting good information,” he said.

There are also hard to reach populations, including the Mennonites and Amish communities.

DeRoller said the campaign will highlight the effectiveness of vaccines and their local availability.

Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson and County Chief Administrative Officer Jack Welch join other county leaders from the nine-county Finger Lakes Region in frequent calls about fighting Covid.

The $150,000 campaign will be focused on the rural communities, and will target zip codes with low vaccination rates.

“This resolution coordinates advertising strategy to promote people to get their vaccines,” Johnson said.

Welch said the state has put lots of resources into outreach campaigns in urban areas, but not too much in rural communities.

“We’re trying to get a fair communication message out so they can make an informed decision,” Welch said.

In the resolution, legislators said new cases, hospitalizations and deaths from Covid-19 infections continue to rise within Orleans County and throughout the region. The county last week reached 100 deaths from Covid since March 2020.

The marketing and outreach strategy will be conducted by Common Ground Health and Causewave Community Partners. The campaign will include advertising in a number of local and regional outlets, earned media, and targeted direct mailings to particular populations within the region.

Orleans County recently had the highest percentage of positive Covid tests in the state. That has started to decline but the county still had over 200 active Covid cases on Monday.

Orleans has made some gains in its vaccination rate. It had the lowest vaccination rate last spring, but now is ahead of 12 other counties.

In Orleans, 57.1 percent of population has had at least one vaccination dose, and 66.1 percent of population 18 and older with at least one dose.

That compares to 76.7 percent of total population in state with at least one dose, and 88.0 percent who are 18 and older in state with at least one dose.

The 57.1 percent in Orleans with at least one dose is ahead of Allegany at 47.9%; Tioga, 50.2%; Lewis, 52.2%; Fulton, 53.1%; Cattaraugus, 54.1%; Seneca, 54.2%; Chemung, 55.4%; Steuben, 55.5%; Wyoming at 55.5%; Yates, 56.4%; Delaware, 56.7%; and Herkimer, 56.8%.

The number of active Covid cases in Orleans County is going down, from 241 on Thursday to 216 today, while the state set a new pandemic high for new cases.

The state has set a new record high for new Covid cases each of the past three days, capped by Sunday’s 23,391. That surge is driven by a big increase in New York City which had 15,245 new cases on Sunday, Gov. Kathy Hochul said.

“The winter surge in Covid-19 cases is a reminder that we must stay vigilant in our fight against the pandemic,” Hochul said today. “Make sure you are using all the tools that we know work in reducing the risk of transmission and serious illness: get vaccinated if you haven’t yet and get the booster if you have, mask up indoors and exercise caution when in large gatherings. Let’s make sure our loved ones and the most vulnerable among us this holiday season are there with us for the next and many more to come.”

Orleans County is reporting 81 new positive cases of Covid since Thursday, and 103 more recoveries or previous positive individuals who completed their 10-day isolation and have been removed from mandatory isolation.

Genesee County’s active cases are on the rise, up from 217 on Thursday to 275 today. The county is reporting 209 new cases and 150 more recoveries.

Orleans County currently has 12 residents hospitalized due to Covid and Genesee has 35 in the hospital from Covid.