The public health director in Orleans and Genesee counties acknowledged a delay in contact tracing due to an overwhelming caseload for the state’s contact tracers.

Paul Pettit, the public health director for the two counties, urged those who are close contacts with people who test positive to begin self quarantining right away, and not wait to be reached by contact tracers.

The state’s tracers aren’t connecting with people often until four or six days after they have been identified as close contacts, Pettit said this morning on a Zoom conference call with reporters.

The local public health departments in Orleans and Genesee will do the initial case investigations to determine close contacts. They then hand off the contact tracing to the state.

But the state has been overwhelmed with surging caseloads locally, regionally and state-wide, Pettit said.

The local health department staff were doing the case investigations and contact tracing when there were only a few new cases each day.

But the cases have gone up dramatically recently. In Orleans County, there are 719 new cases so far in December, an average of 24 new cases a day. There were 623 cases the first nine months of the pandemic in Orleans.

In Genesee, there have been 1,420 new cases so far in December, an average of 47 new cases a day. There were 954 cases in Genesee the first nine months of the pandemic.

Pettit stressed for people to self isolate if they have been identified as a close contact. If they don’t have symptoms for 10 days, they can end the quarantine.

“The message I want to put out there is to start quarantining,” Pettit said.

The number of flu cases is down significantly locally and state-wide so far this flu season.

There were 304 flu cases reported statewide in the week ending Dec. 19, compared to 5,297 during the same week last year.

Locally, Orleans County has two reported flu cases so far this season, compared to 266 this time a year ago.

Genesee County also has two reported flu cases 12 weeks into the flu season, compared to 598 during the same time period in 2019.

Wyoming County has six reported cases, compared to 454 a year ago by the third week of December.

The data is available online through the State Department of Health (click here).

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments encourage people to get a flu shot now to build up immunity.

“Once you have the flu vaccine, if you do get the flu, research shows that the vaccination reduces the risk of severe illness,” the Health Departments said. “Getting a flu vaccine can save healthcare resources for the care of patients with Covid-19 and other illnesses.”

The online registration is open for rapid Covid test clinics next week in Orleans and Genesee counties. Orleans will be shifting the clinic back to Wednesday after doing them on Monday the past two weeks.

The clinic is from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds on Route 31 in Knowlesville. Pre-registration is required. (Click here for the link to the state sign-up site.)

The county ran a rapid testing clinic on Monday for people who are asymptomatic. There were 532 people tested, and 54 were positive for Covid or 10.2 percent. Of the 54 who were positive, 49 are Orleans County residents.

Genesee County has its clinics on Tuesdays and Thursdays, except for today. At the clinic on Tuesday, there were 550 total tests including volunteers helping with clinic with 27 total positives, including 22 Genesee residents. (Click here for the registration link to the next Genesee clinic.)

Genesee has its county-run clinic from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Genesee County Emergency Management/Fire Training Center, 7690 State Street Rd., Batavia.

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments advised that if people have tested positive they shouldn’t use the testing clinics to determine if they are now negative. These clinics are intended to identify new cases. People can test positive for weeks after initially testing positive, the Health Departments said.

Those getting tested should use the Rapid COVID-19 Test Intake Form for the clinics in Orleans and Genesee (click here). People will need one form per person being tested.

If you are filling out the form, please complete it, print it out and bring it with you.

If the clinics are closed please check the NYS COVID-19 Drive through test sites: Call New York State Department of Health Testing Appointments (1-888-364-3065) or

• Monroe Community College – testing by appointment only (click here)

Genesee reports 3 more deaths for 22 so far this month

There are 182 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 to report today in Genesee and Orleans counties.

In Orleans County, there are 40 new positive cases, bringing the total to 1,342 confirmed cases since March.

The new positive cases reside in the West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby), Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre) and East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon).

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s.

Of the 40 new cases, 4 of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Genesee & Orleans Health Departments reported.

Orleans has had 16 of the previous positive individuals recover and be removed from the isolation list.

The county has 21 of the current positive individuals hospitalized with Covid.

In Genesee County, there 142 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 for a total of 2,372 positive cases since March.

The new positive cases reside in the West Region (Alabama, Darien, Pembroke), Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) and East Region (Bergen, Byron, LeRoy, Pavilion, Stafford).

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.

The county also is reporting 68 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

Of the new cases, 20 are residents at LeRoy Village Green Residential Healthcare Facility, 8 are residents at the New York State Veterans Home in Batavia, 2 are residents of Genesee Senior Living, 1 is a resident of Premier Genesee Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation, and 1 is a resident of the Batavia VA Medical Center.

The nursing homes in Genesee County have now had 273 residents test positive for Covid-19 during the pandemic, including 83 at Le Roy Village Green, 74 at NYS Veterans’ Home in Batavia, 59 at The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at Batavia, 32 at Genesee Senior Living in Batavia, and 25 at Premier Genesee Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation.

(Two nursing homes in Orleans had the majority of their cases in the spring. The Villages of Orleans Health & Rehabilitation Center has had 92 resident test positive and the Orchard Rehabilitation & Nursing Center in Medina has had 62 test positive.)

Genesee County is reporting three more deaths from Covid today, after 5 were reported on Tuesday. The three reported today include a resident at LeRoy Village Green, a resident at the New York State Veterans Home in Batavia, and a community resident under the age of 65.

“We will not be releasing any further information to protect the privacy of the individuals and their families,” the Health Departments said in a news brief. “Our deepest condolences go out to the families and friends of these individuals during this difficult time.”

Genesee says 4 of the positive individuals are hospitalized, which is down significantly from 34 who were reported as hospitalized on Tuesday. Several of the patients were discharged.

5 deaths also reported in Genesee County

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments reported 115 new confirmed Covid-19 cases today in the two counties. That brings the total in the two counties to 3,534 since March.

In Orleans County, there are 63 new positive cases of Covid for a total of 1,302 cases since March.

The new positive cases reside in the West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby), Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre) and East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon).

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.

Of the new cases, 11 were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

The county ran a rapid testing clinic on Monday for people who are asymptomatic. There were 532 people tested, and 54 were positive for Covid or 10.2 percent. Of the 54 who were positive, 49 are Orleans County residents.

Orleans also is reporting 39 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

The county has 19 residents hospitalized with Covid.

Genesee County is reporting five deaths from Covid, bringing the total to 26 during the pandemic and 19 this month. The five deaths include a resident at Genesee Senior Living, a resident at Premier Genesee Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation and three community residents. Two of the community residents were over 65 and one under 65.

Also in Genesee, there are 52 new positive cases of Covid-19 for a total of 2,232 positive cases since March.

The new positive cases reside in the West Region (Alabama, Darien, Pembroke), Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) and East Region (Bergen, Byron, LeRoy, Pavilion, Stafford).

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.

Among the new confirmed cases include 17 residents of nursing homes, including 7 at the New York State Veterans Home in Batavia, 6 at LeRoy Village Green Residential Healthcare Facility, 3 at Premier Genesee Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation and 1 resident of Genesee Senior Living.

Genesee is reporting 118 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

Genesee currently has 34 residents hospitalized with Covid.

• Health Alert – People should monitor themselves for symptoms of Covid-19 if they were at Pub Coffee Hub in Batavia from approximately 8:30 to 10 a.m. on Dec. 17-19, and Dec. 21-24, and also at Denny’s in Pembroke from approximately noon to 1 p.m. on Dec. 21.

If the symptoms develop, contact a primary care provider to seek testing immediately and self-isolate until the test results are received.

Symptoms of Covid-19 include but are not limited to fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea.

Positivity rate much higher with last 50,000 tests, compared to first 50,000

Orleans and Genesee counties have passed 100,000 Covid-19 tests in the two counties during the pandemic.

The updated daily report from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments on Monday showed the two counties were at 101,307 Covid tests, with 3,419 of those coming back positive, for a positivity rate of 3.37 percent. (On Thursday, the last update before Monday, the two counties were at 98,908 tests.)

It took five months at the beginning of the pandemic to reach the first 50,000 tests in the two counties and about 2 ½ months to get the second 50,000 tests. That shows the testing availability has increased locally, especially with rapid testing clinics twice a week in Genesee and now weekly in Orleans.

The two counties passed 50,000 tests on Oct. 9. At that point there were 50,312 tests with 661 positives for a positivity rate of 1.31 percent.

In the next 50,995 tests, there were 2,758 positives for a positivity rate of 5.41 percent.

The two counties have a similar positivity rate since March.

• Genesee County: 66,684 Covid tests with 2,180 positives for a positivity rate of 3.27 percent.
• Orleans County: 34,623 Covid tests with 1,239 positives for a positivity rate of 3.58 percent.

The two counties have just under 100,000 people with 40,352 in Orleans County, and 57,280 in Genesee, according to the 2019 Census estimates. Some of those residents have been tested numerous times if they work in nursing homes, healthcare, hair salons and other businesses where the state requires frequent testing.

Advisory from Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments have updated guidance for those on mandatory and precautionary quarantine as long as they don’t have symptoms.

This is for community members, travelers and healthcare personnel, with exceptions:

• Consistent with recent CDC guidance, quarantine for individuals exposed to Covid-19 can end after 10 days without a testing requirement if no symptoms have been reported during the quarantine period.
• Individuals must continue daily symptom monitoring through Day 14.
• Individuals must be counseled to continue strict adherence to all recommended non-pharmaceutical interventions, including hand hygiene and the use of face-coverings, through Day 14.
• Individuals must be advised that if any symptoms develop, they should immediately self-isolate and contact the local public health authority or their healthcare provider to report this change in clinical status and determine if they should seek testing.

For those who work as healthcare professionals at Nursing Homes, Adult Care Facilities, certified as Enhanced Assisted Living Residences (EALR) or licensed as Assisted Living Programs (ALP):

• Individuals can be released from quarantine after 10 days of being symptom free, however they are still furloughed (not able to report for work) for the full 14 days.
• Individuals will have to continue to self-monitor the entire 14 days. Individuals must be counseled to continue strict adherence to all recommended non-pharmaceutical interventions, including hand hygiene and the use of face-covering, through Day 14.
• Individuals must be advised that if any symptoms develop, they should immediately self-isolate and contact the local public health authority or their healthcare provider to report this change in clinical status and determine if they should seek testing.

These quarantine requirements are also applicable to travelers who are not essential workers and/or who did not complete the testing requirements described in Executive Order 205.2.

If you believe you are a contact or have been notified you are a contact with someone who tested positive for Covid-19, it may take a few days for contact tracers to initially contact you due to the volume of contacts.

Please self-quarantine, even if you are feeling fine. Stay away from other household members, use separate bathroom facilities (or sanitize after each use), have meals delivered. If you start to feel ill, contact your primary care provider and let them know you were exposed to or tested positive for Covid-19.

Both counties see big increases in people hospitalized with Covid

In the first update in local Covid-19 cases since Thursday, Genesee and Orleans are reporting a combined increase of 181 new confirmed cases.

Both counties are reporting big increases in people hospitalized with Covid. Orleans has 18 residents hospitalized with Covid, which is up from 8 on Thursday and 6 a week ago.

Genesee County has 38 residents hospitalized with Covid, an all-time high during the pandemic. That is up from 29 on Thursday and 14 a week ago, according to data from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.

In Orleans County, there are 80 new positive cases of Covid-19 for a total of 1,239 cases since March.

The new positive cases reside in the West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby), Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre) and East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon).

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.

Of the new cases, 14 were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

Of the new cases, 19 are inmates of the Orleans Correctional Facility. There are 49 inmates who have now tested positive for Covid at the men’s prison in Albion.

The county also is reporting 78 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

• Albion Central School reported that a middle school student and high school staff member tested positive for Covid-19.

The student’s last day in school was Friday, Dec. 11. Due to the 48-hour lookback period, the Department of Health determined there was no need for contact tracing or the quarantine of students and staff members.

The staff member was last in school on Friday, Dec. 18. Contact tracing and the quarantine of students and staff members was implemented according to health department guidelines, the district stated on its website.

In Genesee County there 101 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 for a total of 2,180 positive cases.

The new positive cases reside in the West Region (Alabama, Darien, Pembroke), Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) and East Region (Bergen, Byron, LeRoy, Pavilion, Stafford).

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.

Of the new cases, 3 are residents at LeRoy Village Green Residential Healthcare Facility, 3 are residents of Premier Genesee Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation in Batavia, 2 are residents of Genesee Senior Living in Batavia, 2 are residents at the New York State Veterans Home in Batavia, and 1 is a resident at The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at Batavia.

The county is reporting that 148 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.

• Correction from the Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments: 6 recoveries have been retracted from today’s number as 4 previously reported are residents of the NYS Veterans Home at Batavia and 2 are residents of Leroy Village Green Residential Healthcare Facility. Persons reported recovered are community members only and don’t live in nursing homes which are regulated by the Department of Health.

• Data will be vetted: Today’s report includes data since Thursday, Dec. 24^th, after 2:00 p.m. Due to the increased numbers from the holiday weekend, the G-O Health Departments anticipate to have the data updated over the next couple of days in order for staff to make sure the date is properly vetted.

• What does recovered mean? What “recovered” means in relation to Covid-19: Generally when someone is recovered that means they are feeling better. With Covid-19 the G-O Health Departments are using the term recovered to show the individual is no longer able to spread the virus. This means they have been on isolation for at least 10 days, have not had a fever over 100 for 72 hours without fever-reducing medication, and their respiratory symptoms are getting better.

There have been cases where people have started doing better for a short period of time and then they are hit with symptoms again or a new set. Some have had continued respiratory issues, developed pneumonia, sepsis, other infections, deep venous thrombosis (DVT), extreme fatigue, etc.

Because of the time in bed, there is a higher risk of blood clots which can cause strokes, heart attacks and pulmonary embolisms as well as other symptoms.

• Percent Positive 7-day average of Covid-19 tests as of Dec. 27: Genesee: 11.7% and Orleans: 8.2%.

ALBION – Orleans County health officials expect vaccines will start this week for people in the “1A” group – residents and staff and long-term care facilities. Healthcare workers are also in the 1A group and many of them also received the vaccine last week, traveling to Unity Health in Rochester for the shot.

The vaccine will now be administered in Orleans County and it could take into the end of next week to administer the shots in the 1A group. Then health officials will start with the “1B” group of frontline workers, including EMS staff, coroners, and funeral home workers.

“It is very fluid with little information flowing from the state,” said Paul Pettit, the public health director in Genesee and Orleans counties. “This will be a mammoth effort that will require all our community partners (Public Health, health systems, providers and pharmacies) to assist in vaccinating over the next 6 months.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced today that 140,000 people have received the first of two shots of the vaccine so far in the state.

New York expects to receive another 259,000 doses this week, with 139,400 coming from Pfizer and 119,600 coming from Moderna, Cuomo said.

The state is expanding the priority populations eligible to receive a vaccine to include urgent care center employees and individuals administering Covid-19 vaccines, including local health department staff, and residents of the Office of Addiction Services and Supports’ congregate facilities.

Vaccines will continue to be distributed for high-risk hospital workers, federally qualified health center employees, EMS, coroners, medical examiners, funeral workers and residents and staff of Office for People with Developmental Disabilities and Office of Mental Health facilities, Cuomo said.

“Next week, the state expects to expand this universe further with the addition of ambulatory care workers and public-facing public health workers,” he said.

Locally, Pettit said Orleans Community Health in Medina and Oak Orchard Health in Albion will be administering the shots for the 1A group. He expects people will make appointments for the vaccinations as the county moves to 1B and other groups or they will get the shots through scheduled clinics.

After people get the first vaccination shot, they will need to get the second shot three weeks later.

Finger Lakes still 2nd highest, remains over 8 percent

Courtesy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office: This is each region’s percent positive with Covid-19 tests in the past three days.

The Finger Lakes Region, which includes Orleans and eight other counties, no longer has the highest percent of positive Covid-19 tests in the state.

The Mohawk Valley has taken the undesirable top spot with the highest percent positive in recent days, as well as in the past week.

The percent positive over the past 7 days, by region, includes: Mohawk Valley, 8.8%; Finger Lakes, 8.1%; Capital Region, 8.0%; Long Island, 6.6%; North Country, 6.5%; Central New York, 6.3%; Western New York, 6.2%; Mid-Hudson, 6.0%; New York City, 4.6%; and Southern Tier, 3.1%.

Orleans did have the highest percent positive for Covid tests recently, but now is fourth out of the nine counties.

In The Finger Lakes Region, the positivity rate the past seven days for the nine counties includes:

• Genesee, 11.9 percent
• Livingston, 11.2 percent
• Wyoming, 9.0 percent
• Orleans, 8.5 percent
• Seneca, 8.4 percent
• Monroe, 7.9 percent
• Ontario, 7.2 percent
• Wayne, 6.5 percent
• Yates, 5.0 percent

The Finger Lakes remains near the top of the list, and the region leads the state for percent of residents hospitalized due to Covid, at .08 percent.

There were 921 people hospitalized in the Finger Lakes on Saturday or .08 percent of the population, double the state-wide percentage people hospitalized with Covid at .04 percent. Central New York and Mohawk Valley are next at .05 percent.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo today updated New Yorkers on the Covid numbers from Saturday. There were 7,183 hospitalizations in the state for Covid on Saturday (Dec. 26), the most in the state since May 10, when there were 7,226 hospitalized with Covid.

The most people hospitalized in one day during the pandemic is 18,825 on April 12. The day with the fewest Covid patients hospitalized is 418 on Aug. 30.

“As we near the end of the holiday season, New York remains locked in a footrace between the vaccine’s quick distribution and Covid-19’s continued spread,” Governor Cuomo said. “It has been a tough year and we still have several tough months ahead, but we can see the light at the end of the tunnel and we will make it there if we all do our part to slow the spread.

“New York is working closely with the medical community to not only administer the vaccine, but to continue growing capacity as well,” Cuomo said today. “As that work progresses, the rest of us need to step up, stay united and continue doing what we know works—wearing masks, staying socially distanced and washing our hands.”

In Genesee, new cases include 43 nursing home residents from 3 sites; Genesee passes 2,000 cases

Message from the Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments: Due to the Christmas holiday, we will not be reporting out on Friday. Monday’s report will include Friday and the weekend coverage. We would like to take this time to wish everyone a healthy, safe and Merry Christmas! Please limit contact and time with non-household members, wash hands frequently and wear a mask/face covering to limit the spread.

Orleans and Genesee counties are reporting 149 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 today. The two counties combined now have had 3,238 confirmed cases since March.

In Orleans County, there are 26 new positive cases, bringing the county’s total to 1,159 positive cases since March.

The new positive cases reside in the West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby), Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre) and the East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon).

The individuals are in the age groups of 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.

Of the new cases, 2 of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

Of the new cases, 8 are inmates of the Orleans Correctional Facility. That men’s prison has now had 29 inmates test positive for Covid.

The county is reporting that 19 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

There are 8 residents from Orleans County hospitalized due to Covid.

In Genesee County, there are 123 new positive cases of Covid for a total of 2,079 positive cases.

The new positive cases reside in the West Region (Alabama, Darien, Pembroke), Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Corfu, Elba, Oakfield) and East Region (Bergen, Byron, LeRoy, Stafford and Pavilion).

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.

Genesee is reporting 38 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

The county has 29 residents hospitalized due to Covid, which is up from 14 on Monday.

Of the new cases, 23 are residents at Genesee Senior Living, 13 are residents at LeRoy Village Green, 7 are residents at New York State Veterans Home in Batavia and 1 is an inmate at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center in Batavia. The Health Departments also said one positive case previously reported as a resident of Premier Genesee is actually a resident of Genesee Senior Living.

• Health Alert – This is a new format for announcing when there is a time when the G-O Health Departments cannot contact potential close contacts. This will replace several press releases and will be reported as needed.

The Health Departments encourage all businesses and organizations to take down names/contact information and time in attendance at their business to assist with contact tracing should someone be positive for Covid-19. This may eliminate the need for a press alert if the health officials are able to contact potential close contacts.

For people at Tully’s in Batavia on Dec. 13, between noon and 1:30 p.m., and for people at Fortunes in Batavia on Dec. 13, between 3 and 8 p.m., they should monitor for symptoms of Covid-19. If the symptoms develop, contact a primary care provider to seek testing immediately and self-isolate until the test results are received.

Symptoms of Covid-19 include but are not limited to fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea.

Genesee County tops 1,000 cases so far in December

Message from the Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments: Covid-19 is widespread throughout Genesee and Orleans counties. With the high prevalence of active cases, we are changing the way we are reporting the positive cases to regionally rather than listing each of the towns. Detailed demographic data is still being captured by the state.

The Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments reported 65 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the two counties today.

In Orleans County, there are 15 new positive cases of Covid for a total of 1,133 positive cases since March.

The new positive cases reside in the West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby), Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre) and the East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon).

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 70s and 80s.

Four of the new positives are inmates at the Orleans Correctional Facility, a men’s prison.

Of the new cases, one was on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Health Departments reported in a news brief this evening.

The county also is reporting 14 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

Orleans has 8 residents currently hospitalized due to Covid, which is up from 2 a week ago on Dec. 16.

Since Dec. 1, Orleans has 510 new confirmed cases of Covid, going from 623 cases to 1,133.

Genesee suffers 14^th death this month from Covid

In Genesee County, there 50 new confirmed cases of Covid for a total of 1,956 positive cases since March.

Genesee County started December with 954 cases during the pandemic. It has added 1,002 more in just over three weeks.

The new positive cases reported today reside in the West Region (Alabama, Darien, Pembroke), Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Corfu, Elba, Oakfield) and East Region (Bergen, Byron, LeRoy, Stafford and Pavilion).

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.

Of the new cases, 16 are residents at LeRoy Village Green, 6 are residents at Premier Genesee, and 3 are residents at New York State Veterans Home in Batavia.

Genesee is reporting that 74 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

There are 20 Genesee residents hospitalized due to Covid, which is down from 24 a week ago on Dec. 16.

Genesee County also is reporting a resident over age 65 has died due to Covid, the 14^th death in the county from Covid in December. Genesee has now suffered 21 deaths in the pandemic after people were sickened by the coronavirus.

Photo by Tom Rivers: Personnel at the first Orleans County rapid test clinic last Wednesday take rapid tests of people in vehicles. They submitted self-administered tests of nasal samples. The county did 420 tests that day with 12 testing positive, or 2.9 percent. On Monday, there were 22 positives out of 546 for 4.0 percent.

ALBION – Orleans County in recent weeks has had one of the highest positivity rates in the region for Covid-19 tests.

The county currently has a 9.0 percent positivity rate over the past 14 days. Only Genesee, at 10.1 percent, is higher among the nine counties in the Finger Lakes Region.

The percentage in Orleans is expected to drop as the county does weekly rapid tests for people who are asymptomatic.

The county’s rate for the past 7 days is 8.6 percent, down from the 9.0 percent over two weeks. The 8.6 percent the past seven days is the third highest in the Finger Lakes, behind Genesee at 11.4 percent and Monroe at 8.7 percent.

The first rapid testing clinic in Orleans County a week ago had 12 positives out of 420 tests, or a 2.9 percent positive rate. On Monday, there were 546 tests with 22 positives, or 4.0 percent. Of the positives, 21 were Orleans County residents, said Paul Pettit, the public health director in Genesee and Orleans.

Here is how the nine counties in the Finger Lakes Region compare in the past week, and two weeks for percentage of tests that are positive for Covid-19:

• Genesee, 7-day average – 11.4%; 14-day average – 10.1%
• Livingston, 7-day average – 6.9%; 14-day average – 6.5%
• Monroe, 7-day average – 8.7%; 14-day average – 8.7%
• Ontario, 7-day average – 7.0%; 14-day average – 7.0%
• Orleans, 7-day average – 8.6%; 14-day average – 9.0%
• Seneca, 7-day average – 7.7%; 14-day average – 7.0%
• Wayne, 7-day average – 6.7%; 14-day average – 6.4%
• Wyoming, 7-day average – 8.6%; 14-day average – 8.3%
• Yates, 7-day average – 3.8%; 14-day average – 4.7%

Source: Forward NY (Click here)

Orleans County will be doing the weekly rapid testing clinics until at least late January. In Genesee, there are two a week. Oak Orchard Health also did a rapid testing clinic on Friday evening with 140 tested.

“I think we’ve turned a corner to provide that access to our residents, which was something we struggled with,” Pettit said.

Orleans has its next clinic on Monday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds. Click here for registration information.

Pettit praised the staff at the Health Department, Orleans County Emergency Management Office and other agencies and businesses for providing the personnel for the clinics. About 40 people have helped with the clinics.

“This is a great collaboration,” Pettit told elected officials on a weekly conference call on Tuesday evening. “It takes a lot of hands to make it work. It looks like things are running very smooth. We should all be very proud of that.”

Genesee County next hosts a rapid testing clinic on Tuesday, Dec. 29, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Genesee County Emergency Management/Fire Training Center on State Street Road in Batavia. Click here for registration information.

The clinics in Orleans and Genesee are open to people outside the host county.

2 counties combined pass 3,000 Covid cases since March

Orleans and Genesee counties reported a combined 119 new cases of Covid-19 today. Together the two counties have passed 3,000 cases during the pandemic with 1,118 in Orleans and 1,906 in Genesee.

The 3,024 cases is about 3 percent of the combined population of the two counties, which is 97,632, according to the 2019 U.S. Census Bureau estimates – 40,352 in Orleans and 57,280 in Genesee.

In Orleans County, there are 44 new confirmed cases reported today with the new cases in Albion, Carlton, Clarendon, Gaines, Kendall, Murray, Ridgeway, Shelby and Yates.

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.

Of the new cases, 1 is a resident of Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Medina and 1 is an inmate of the Orleans Correctional Facility. Orchard Rehab has now had 62 resident test positive during the pandemic and Orleans Correctional has had 17 inmates with confirmed cases of Covid.

Of the 44 cases, 2 of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, according to the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.

Orleans is reporting 19 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

Orleans has seven residents hospitalized due to Covid-19.

Albion Central School said an elementary school staff member and a high school student have tested positive for Covid-19 over the weekend.

The student learns remotely and the last day the staff member was in school was Tuesday, Dec. 15. Contact tracing and the quarantine of students and staff members was implemented according to health department guidelines, the district posted on its website

Medina Central School reported today a high school staff member tested positive for Covid-19. “Anyone who needs to be quarantined has already been contacted, and the Department of Health has determined that no further quarantines are required from the school,” District Superintendent Mark Kruzynski wrote in a letter on the district website.

In Genesee County, there are 75 new confirmed cases. They live in Alabama, Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Bergen, Byron, Corfu, Darien, Elba, LeRoy, Oakfield and Stafford.

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.

Of the new cases reported today, 7 are residents at LeRoy Village Green, 3 are residents at Genesee Senior Living, and 1 is a resident at Premier Genesee.

The county is reporting 57 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been

from the isolation list.

Genesee also has 16 residents hospitalized due to Covid, the Health Departments reported.

Due to the increased positive cases reported yesterday, the Health Departments said there was a mistake in calculating the number of active cases. The number reported was 343 but should have been listed as 247.  Today’s number is correct at 266. Orleans is at 168, the most in the pandemic for that county.

Percent Positive 7-day average as of Dec. 20 – Genesee: 10.5%; Orleans: 8.7%

Provided photos from Orleans Community Health

MEDINA – Leighann VanAuker, director of the emergency department at Medina Memorial Hospital, was among 46 employees at Orleans Community Health to receive the Covid-19 vaccine this morning.

Mary Williams, the director of HR for Orleans Community Health, administered the vaccine shots.

The OCH employees traveled to Unity Health in Rochester to receive the vaccinations.

This group received the vaccinations and includes from left: Kate Brauen, director of pharmacy; Mary Williams, director of HR; and Rebecca Mannella, director of human resources education.

Jessica Capurso, director of marketing, outreach and health education for OCH, receives her vaccine.

“The clinic went well this morning,” Capurso said. “No adverse effects. The employees were very excited that this happened.”

Elizabeth Wagner, who works with physicians as the medical staff coordinator, gets her shot of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine.

Dr. Christine Cameron, family medical doctor, also was among the first at OCH for the vaccine.