Press Release, Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse

BATAVIA – Next month’s Stand Up For Recovery Day is a virtual event this year but the question it poses reflects the reality that everyone can contribute to helping those suffering with substance use disorders.

Staff at The Recovery Station, a program of Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse, are asking those who wish to support the effort to post a video or picture that answers the following:

“What do you stand up for when it comes to recovery?”

Sue Gagne, coordinator of The Recovery Station, is inviting all community members to voice their support or showcase their artistic talents for the cause.

“Whether you are an individual in recovery, family member, friend, or ally, you are an important part of our recovery community,” Gagne said. “We hope you join us in showing support for the recovery movement in Genesee and Orleans counties. You are not alone!”

Stand Up For Recovery Day is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9, and features a full agenda of activities promoted by Friends of Recovery – New York (www.for-ny.org/surd-registration), including:

• Networking and sponsor presentations;
• Opening plenary session including entertainment by Katharine Pettit Creative (KPC) and George Feaster Band;
• Inspirational message, remarks by For-NY Board President Chacku Mathai and Executive Director Dr. Angelia Smith-Wilson;
• Presentation of the group’s policy statement by statewide recovery advocates;
• Remarks by partners from the New York state government and legislature;
• Presentations on advocacy by Richard Buckman and Ashley Livingston;
• Video Rally.

Optional events including a legislature chat session and virtual visits with area legislators.

Friends of Recovery –New York (FOR-NY) is a statewide Recovery Community Organization working on behalf of millions of individuals and families in New York to educate decision makers and the general public about recovery from addiction.

Leaders anticipate nearly 1,000 recovery warriors from various Recovery Community Organizations throughout the state to gather virtually in order to both celebrate recovery from addictions, but more so, to educate decision-makers and the general public about the recovery movement.

FOR-NY has identified its four priorities when it comes to help those in recovery as housing, personalized treatment and treatment on demand, recovery oriented systems of care, and transportation. It also supports racial justice as well as a public health response to Covid-19 which is inclusive of the recovery community.

For more information about the Stand Up For Recovery Day or The Recovery Station, contact Gagne at 585-815-5248. To support recovery efforts in Orleans County, call 585-210-8750.

Instead of 2,500 doses, G-O Health Departments getting 300

Press Release, Geneee and Orleans County Health Departments

Genesee and Orleans counties continue to work diligently to distribute the limited supply of vaccine received in their continued response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“We were hoping to receive 2,500 doses of the vaccine between Genesee and Orleans counties but were made aware that is not going to occur because of the statewide shortage,” said Paul Pettit, Director of the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments. “We realize that those who hoped to schedule appointments this week are going to be very upset as well and we are disappointed to have to give them this news.”

The state allocations were the same as the week before at 250,000, but the county health departments are only receiving 300 doses total between the two this week which will be utilized for 1B essential workers per the state’s directive.

Those over 65 should continue to seek vaccine from their providers, pharmacies and the state sites. Appointments for vaccine are currently online ONLY. Last week the county-run clinics were able administer approximately 1,050 doses.

“At GCC on Friday alone, we were able to administer approximately 550 doses of the vaccine in a seamless fashion. On average, people got their shots and were able to leave the testing sites within 20 minutes,” Matt Landers, Genesee County Manager said. “As a result of our experience in operating the Covid-19 testing sites, our workforce and community volunteers have been able to replicate this into a smooth operation at the vaccination sites when vaccine supplies are readily available.”

We ask those who are 65 and older, part of Priority Group 1B, to continue to check the clinic schedules and as requested by the state, to use the pharmacy links. Pharmacies and other sites that are part of the “retail network” are working to provide vaccine to the 65 and older population as they receive vaccine.

How the pharmacies set up their appointments are determined by the pharmacies and the state. The local Health Departments or OFAs do not have insight on how pharmacy clinics are run. Keep checking the site links as many of the pharmacies may not have received vaccine.

If you do not have a computer/internet access, please contact your Office for the Aging for assistance. For Genesee County call 585-813-2457 between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and for Orleans County call 585-589-3191 between 9:30-4:30 Monday through Friday and they will assist you as best as they can.

Please check the following links: For clinic schedules when vaccine is available and information about vaccination clinics, click here. Please note the registration links are subject to change and will be updated.

For the NYS-run Vaccine Clinics, click here. Clinics are only open when there is vaccine available. You currently can only register for an appointment online. Each provider is responsible for their own registration and setup. The Health Departments are only responsible for the clinics they sponsor. Please do not call the host sites for the County Vaccination Clinics…they are only providing the space and cannot assist with registration or questions.

You must return to the provider where you initially got your first shot, for your second shot. You must also get the same vaccine brand as your first shot. The appointment is to be made for you while you are there for your first shot.

Currently 3^rd lowest of 10 regions in the state for positive percentage

The Finger Lakes Region, which had the highest positivity rate for Covid-19 tests in the state earlier this month, now is the third lowest of the 10 regions.

As recently as Jan. 7, the Finger Lakes had a seven-day average for positive tests over 10 percent (10.22 percent). Orleans and eight other counties are considered to be in the Finger Lakes by the state.

It dropped below 6 percent on Friday (5.78 percent) for the seven-day average. On Saturday the seven-day average dipped to 5.52 percent. Only the Southern Tier at 3.23 percent and Central New York at 5.34 percent were lower. (Western New York was at 5.89 percent and Long Island had the state’s highest percent at 6.99 percent.)

State-wide the governor said New York is making progress but the numbers are still too high.

Hospitalizations state-wide due to Covid declined by 189 on Saturday to 8,613. The Finger Lakes had 692 people hospitalized with Covid on Saturday. The Region hit a high for Covid hospitalization on Dec. 28 with 964.

“The Covid war still needs to be fought, and while many feel Covid fatigue, that is a luxury we cannot afford,” Gov. Cuomo said in a statement today. “If we tire before the enemy, the enemy wins – it’s that simple. I am confident that we can defeat this and rebuild stronger than ever before. Until that day comes, I encourage all New Yorkers to keep fighting the good fight together – wear a mask, social distance and avoid gatherings.”

Orleans County is reporting 24 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 today, which puts the county past 2,000 since last March.

The county is now at 2,006 cases during the pandemic. That represents 5 percent of the county’s population of 40,352.

Of those cases, 71 have resulted in deaths of Orleans County residents. The vast majority, 1,566, have recovered and been released from mandatory isolation. Those recoveries don’t include cases in nursing homes and prisons, which are regulated by the state Department of Health. Orleans also currently has 167 people on mandatory isolation who have tested positive.

Of the new cases reported today, they live 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, five of the individuals were on quarantine prior to testing positive. One of the new cases is a resident of the Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Medina.

Orleans is also reporting 26 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

The county has 13 residents hospitalized due to Covid.

• Albion Central School is pleased to announce there weren’t any new positive cases of Covid-19 reported to the district over the course of this week.

“We’d like to thank our staff, students, and community members for continuing to participate in proper handwashing, wearing face masks covering your nose and mouth, physical distancing and limiting your group activities, especially where social/physical distancing is difficult,” the district posted on its website. “You’ve helped to keep our students learning, safely in school and we appreciate all of your support.”

• Medina Central School is reporting three new confirmed cases of Covid-19 among students. Two of those are in the high school and in both cases the students had not been in school prior to becoming symptomatic so no further quarantines are necessary. The other student is in the elementary school and had been on quarantine. The Health Department has determined no further quarantines are necessary, said Mark Kruzynski, the district superintendent.

In Genesee County,  there are 76 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 reported today for a total of 3,621 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.

Correction from yesterday: The following case was double counted and has been retracted from today’s data – a case in his/her 30s from Batavia.

Of the new cases reported today, 5 are residents of the Leroy Village Green Residential

Healthcare Facility, 2 are residents of the Batavia VA Medical Center, and 2 are residents of the New York State Veteran’s Home at Batavia. (Correction: 1 of the previously reported cases is a resident at the New York State Veteran’s Home at Batavia.)

Genesee also is reporting 37 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments also said 18 Genesee residents are currently hospitalized due to Covid.

• Health Alert – People should monitor themselves for symptoms of Covid-19 if they were at Batavia Downs Gaming on Jan. 17 from about 2 to 5 p.m.

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.

• NY Allowing High-Risk High School Sports – As a region, the local health departments of the Finger Lakes (including Monroe, Ontario, Wayne, Livingston, Genesee, Orleans, Wyoming, Seneca and Yates counties) are in support of re-opening high-risk sports but want to make sure it’s done safely and uniformly.

“As a region, we will be discussing and drafting additional guidance with our school partners to ensure a consistent, regional approach,” the G-O Health Departments stated in this evening’s news briefing. “We are planning to provide that guidance early next week.”

2 counties have 3 more deaths from Covid

Orleans and Genesee counties combined are reporting 75 more cases of Covid-19 today for a total of 5,529 cases during the pandemic.

The two counties combined also have three more deaths from Covid with two in Orleans for 71 total during the pandemic and one in Genesee for 101 total during the pandemic.

In Orleans County, there are 37 new positive cases reported today for a total of 1,983 confirmed cases since March.

The positive cases are residents 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.

None of the new positive individuals were on quarantine prior to testing positive, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments said.

Of the new cases, 8 are residents of Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Medina and 1 of the new positive cases is an inmate at the Albion Correctional Facility.

Orleans also is reporting 20 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

The county also has 12 residents currently hospitalized due to Covid.

• Rapid Test results from clinic at Fairgrounds: Orleans County conducted a rapid test clinic on Wednesday at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds. There were 382 people tested and 3.9 percent of the total or 15 were positive for Covid, including 12 Orleans County residents.

There is another rapid test clinic set for Jan. 27 from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Fairgrounds. Click here to be directed to the state site for registering for the free test.

• Lyndonville Central School is reporting that afternoon the district was notified that a student has tested positive for Covid-19. The student was last present on district property on Wednesday, Jan. 20.

Contact tracing was completed in collaboration with the Orleans County Health Department.  As a result, some students and staff members were placed under quarantine by the Orleans County Health Department.

“We will continue to support the Health Department by providing any required information for their process and will adhere to their directives,” District Superintendent Jason Smith said in a letter posted on the district website.

In Genesee County, there are 38 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 for a total of 3,546 positive cases since March.

The new positive cases are residents 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, and 80s.

Genesee also is reporting 28 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

Genesee has 17 residents currently hospitalized due to Covid.

Courtesy of the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments: Here are graphs showing the 90-day rolling average in Genesee and Orleans counties.

• Covid-19 related fatality data: The G-O Health Departments said they are only able to report the number of Covid-related deaths that are provided by the hospitals, nursing homes and family members.

The hospitals and nursing homes are not required to report these deaths to the local health departments, but have been as they are able. Please note the chart will now include the state fatalities link on Monday through Thursday and will include the state’s updated data on the Friday report. Click here to see the state data on Covid deaths per county.

Orleans will have clinics at Ridgeway Fire Hall while GCC hosts the events in Genesee

Orleans and Genesee counties are announcing they will be hosting vaccine clinics.

Orleans will administer Covid-19 vaccinations on Tuesdays and Thursdays 9 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. starting Tuesday, January 26, at the Ridgeway Fire Hall (11392 Ridge Road, Medina, NY).

Vaccinations for the Orleans County vaccine clinic are through online appointment only (click here for more information).

Genesee will administer the vaccines on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. and from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. at Genesee Community College (1 College Road, Batavia, NY) starting Monday, January 25.

Vaccinations for the GCC clinics are through online appointment only (click here for more information).

Vaccinations at both sites will be conducted inside and are based on the availability of the vaccine, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments said.

“As we have stressed since the vaccine became available and the number of people eligible to receive the vaccine has increased significantly, we are urging people to be patient,” said Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments Director Paul Pettit. “Everything regarding scheduling a vaccine appointment no matter if you are trying through the county health department, through a local pharmacy or for the state-run clinics is being funneled to the state’s data management page.”

People should not be calling the health departments, vaccination sites such as pharmacies or their provider to schedule a test, the local public health officials said.

The registration links will direct people to the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) website specific to available appointments for that provider. If a person visits the Genesee County Department of Health Vaccine Webpage, click the Clinic Schedule button and click one of the listed provider links to schedule an appointment. People will be directed to the appointment page on NYSDOH data management system for that provider’s vaccine clinic.

Those making appointments should be aware that the state appointment system has experienced technical issues due to the volume of people trying to access it for appointments.

If a person tries to schedule an appointment at a local pharmacy e.g. Tops Markets, Rite-Aid, etc. by visiting their website, whatever link you click on will direct you to the NYSDOH website for that location. Providers’ clinic schedules are subject to change based on vaccine availability.

Pettit noted that there are approximately 50,000 residents in Genesee and Orleans currently eligible to get the Covid-19 vaccine and approximately 1,600 doses available this week, although all appointments are full. Vaccine allocation is on a week-by-week schedule, with the possibility of no vaccine to each of the providers requesting it.

“This is resulting in people receiving the message of ‘no appointments available’ when clicking on the link and we are being told anecdotally that some people keep clicking on the link for hours at a time and getting this same message,” Pettit said. “We don’t want to deter people for going on-line and trying to schedule an appointment, but we want to make them aware of what to expect because it can get frustrating very easily.”

Please continue to monitor the local vaccine site and the state site for a list of additional clinics to receive the vaccine.

Genesee County reaches 100 deaths from Covid

There are 83 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Genesee and Orleans counties today, bringing the combined total in the two counties to 5,454 since March.

Genesee County is reporting the death of a resident over age 65 who lived at Genesee Senior Living in Batavia. This is the 100^th death from Covid in Genesee County, according to the state Department of Health.

“We do not provide any further information to protect the privacy of the individual and their family,” the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments said in a news briefing today. “Our deepest condolences to the family and friends during this very difficult time.”

Orleans County also is reporting a death from Covid, a person over age 65. This person wasn’t a nursing home resident and lived in the community, the Health Departments said. The state DOH data says Orleans County has had 69 residents die from Covid during the pandemic.

In Orleans County today there are also 28 new confirmed cases to report for a total of 1,946 during the pandemic.

The 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.

None of the new cases were people on quarantine prior to testing positive.

Of the new cases, four are residents of Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.

Orleans is reporting 20 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

The county currently has 13 individuals hospitalized due to Covid.

In Genesee County, there are 55 new positive cases of Covid for a total of 3,508 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.

Genesee is reporting that 57 more people have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

The county has 15 residents hospitalized due to Covid.

• Covid-19 related fatality data: The G-O Health Departments said they are only able to report the number of Covid-related deaths that are provided by the hospitals, nursing homes and family members.

The hospitals and nursing homes are not required to report these deaths to the local health departments, but have been as they are able. Please note the chart will now include the state fatalities link on Monday through Thursday and will include the state’s updated data on the Friday report. Click here to see the state data on Covid deaths per county.

GCC will host vaccine clinics in Genesee County, beginning this week

Vaccine clinics will begin this week in Genesee County at GCC in Batavia and next week in Orleans County at the Ridgeway Fire Hall.

That doesn’t mean there is an abundance of vaccine locally. Paul Pettit, the public health director for Genesee and Orleans, said supply still is far short of demand.

He said doing the clinics at a lower volume in the beginning will have the two counties prepared when the vaccine supply increases.

GCC in Batavia will host the vaccine clinics on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, while Ridgeway hosts the events in Orleans on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Some of the details are still being worked out and Pettit said the local health Departments will release more information soon.

The Orleans County Health Department this week is expecting 200 doses of the vaccine, with another 100 at Orleans Community health, and additional supply at some pharmacies. Pettit said the registrations to sign up for the vaccines quickly fill up.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is trying to get more vaccines from the federal government, to then release to the regions of the state to distribute. He knows many people are frustrated by the process so far, with many people declared eligible for the vaccine, but not nearly enough is available to fill the need right now.

“We are doing the best we can with what we have been given,” Pettit told elected officials in Orleans County in a conference call this evening.

The public clinics at GCC and Ridgeway will be “vaccine pending,” Pettit said.

“If more vaccine becomes available we’ll be able to scale up,” he said.

The two counties combined this week expect to have 1,600 doses, which includes the pharmacy providers in both counties, the hospitals in both counties and both Health Departments. Some of the people vaccinated with the first dose also will soon need the second dose of the vaccine.

At this time all appointments are full, the Health Department said, but encouraged people to check in case people have canceled. People are encouraged to cancel their appointment if they are experiencing symptoms of Covid-19, the flu or a cold, and if they have been placed on mandatory quarantine because they are identified as a close contact to someone who has tested positive.

To check for vaccination clinics in Genesee and Orleans counties, click here.

Active cases in 2 counties drops from 495 to 357 in past 7 days

Orleans and Genesee counties are reporting 224 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in the first update since Friday afternoon. The two counties combined now have had 5,371 confirmed cases since last March.

In Orleans County, there are 56 new positive cases of Covid-19 from Friday afternoon through Tuesday morning for a total of 1,918 positive cases, the Genesee and Orleans County health Departments reported today.

The 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, three of the people were on quarantine prior to testing positive.

The new cases include three residents of Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Medina, and two inmates at the Albion Correctional Facility, and one inmate at the Orleans Correctional Facility.

The county also is reporting that 147 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation. The number of active cases in the county has declined from 243 on Jan. 12 to 158 today.

There are 18 residents currently hospitalized with Covid.

In Genesee County, there are 168 new confirmed cases since Friday for 3,453 positive cases since last 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). Two of the new cases are inmates at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center in Batavia.

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

There are 220 more people who have recovered and been removed from the isolation list. The active cases in the county has dropped from 252 a week ago to 199 today.

There are 11 Genesee residents currently hospitalized with Covid.

Correction from the G-O Health Departments: 3 cases previously reported are residents at Leroy Village Green.

Correction from the G-O Health Departments: The following cases were double counted and have been retracted from the today’s total number of positive cases: A case in his/her 20s from Batavia, a case in his/her 50s from Leroy, and a case in his/her 80s from Batavia.

Correction from the G-O Health Departments: 14 recoveries have been retracted from today’s number as these individuals are nursing home residents. Persons reported recovered are community members only.

Covid-19 related fatality data: The G-O Health Departments said they are only able to report the number of Covid-related deaths that are provided to them by the hospitals, nursing homes and family members.

The hospitals and nursing homes are not required to report these deaths to the local health departments, but have been as they are able. Due to the number of cases over the last 10 months. data hasn’t been provided locally on a regular basis, the G-O Health Departments said.

“We do not have real-time fatality data provided by the NYS Department of Health which receives the data from death certificates, hospital and nursing home reporting. NYSDOH recently updated their Covid-19 related fatalities which has resulted in a significant increase for Genesee County as we previously reported,” the Health Departments stated in a news briefing today. The State updates the data as they receive it and can be seen by clicking here.

“Genesee and Orleans counties will continue to report the Covid-related fatalities as we receive them locally in the narrative and update the total number of deaths on a weekly basis only,” the Health Departments stated. “Today’s data reflects that reconciliation with the State data.”

(The state shows Genesee as having 99 Covid-related deaths and Orleans with 69 Covid deaths.)

Orleans and Genesee counties both will be hosting free rapid test Covid-19 clinics this week and there are still many slots open. Both clinics have the capacity to test about 500 people

Genesee County will have a testing clinic on Tuesday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Genesee County Emergency Management Office/Fire Training Center, 7690 State Street Rd. in Batavia. Click here to register.

Orleans County will have its testing clinic on Wednesday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds, 12690 Route 31 in Knowlesville. Click here to register.

Participants should print out and complete this form (click here) from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.

These are drive-thru clinics only are for people without Covid-19 symptoms.

Region’s Covid positivity rate remains above state average

Chart from Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office

The Finger Lakes Region, which includes Orleans and eight other counties, continues to see the Covid-19 positivity rate and number of hospitalizatons from Covid decline.

Local and state health officials want to see those numbers continue to fall. Although the numbers are still high, the downward trend is encouraging for the health officials.

The Finger Lakes had a positivity rate over 10 percent in early January. It fell below 7 percent on Saturday.

That is still more than a percent above the state average. The 6.96 percent positive in the Finger Lakes on Saturday compares to the statewide average of 5.61 percent.

The positivity rate state-wide fell below 6 percent on Friday and Saturday for the first time since it was 5.9 percent on Dec. 26. On Friday, the statewide positivity rate was 5.77 percent (and 7.32 percent in the Finger Lakes).

Hospitalizations

The number of people hospitalized due to Covid in the nine counties was at 752 on Saturday. It was 830 on Wednesday, 919 on Jan. 1 and a high of 964 on Dec. 28.

Statewide the hospitalizations are also going down slightly. They were at 8,771 on Saturday, which was less than the 8,888 on Jan. 15, and 8,926 on Jan. 12. The 8,926 is the most since the cases and hospitalizations started to surge in November. The state reached a pandemic high with 18,825 on April 12.

The Governor’s Office provided this chart showing how much of the vaccines have been administered so far.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo acknowledged the frustrations of many in the state with trying to get a Covid-19 vaccine.

The governor said the federal government has expanded the eligibility for the vaccine while reducing the weekly allotments to New York.

The CDC earlier this week expanded the eligibility of senior ctiizens from 75 and older to 65 and older. And that was before the state had worked through the 1a population, mainly healthcare workers and nursing home residents.

The CDC guidelines make 7 million New Yorkers currently eligible for the vaccine but the state only received 300,000 doses last week, and it dropped to 250,000 this week, Cuomo said.

“Our constraint is the federal supply and that is creating a scheduling backlog, and it’s creating pressure on what was supposed to be the prioritization process,” Cuomo said on Friday.

The state is scheduling appointments, and the distributors are fully booked 14 weeks in advance.

“There was no increase in supply and in the meantime, there was a dramatic increase in the eligibility,” Cuomo said. “So, now you increase the eligibility, you don’t increase the supply, and now you have a very complicated situation.”

Hawley: Let locals be part of vaccine distribution plan

State Assemblyman Steve Hawley, R-Batavia, and the Republican conference sent a letter to Cuomo and Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker, calling on them to include local home rule authorities in the process of developing vaccine distribution plans. The letter was drafted in response to reports that vaccine distribution has been slow and ineffective in New York state, with some vaccine doses reportedly being wastefully disposed of due to improper storage.

“What we do in these next few weeks with vaccine distribution will determine how much tragedy we will all have to endure as a state, so we need to act now to get these vaccines to the people that need them most, as quickly as possible,” Hawley said in a news release. “We need to give the people who know their communities better than anyone a say in planning vaccine distribution, because a singular top-down approach will not work for the varied and unique communities that make up New York State. Getting these vaccines out effectively and promptly will save lives, and we cannot afford to let even a single dose of the vaccine go to waste during this unprecedented public health crisis.”

Vaccine distribution network expanding

Cuomo said the state’s vaccine distribution network is expanding rapidly – almost 5,000 pharmacies, 194 hospitals, 2,500 private doctor networks, city departments of health, 58 county departments of health and state mass vaccination sites.

Some regions are doing better than others in getting out the vaccine. The Finger Lakes Region, which includes Orleans and eight other counties, had administered 76 percent of its doses, the lowest percentage of the 10 regions. The Southern Tier is the highest at 95 percent.

Cuomo said the state needs more people trained to administer the vaccine shots. So far 827,000 total doses have been administered – 731,000 first doses and 96,000 second doses.

“Get needles in the arms,” Cuomo said. “We want to do better. The faster you get people the vaccine, the better for them and the better for the entire state.”

Orleans also reports 29 new Covid cases, while Genesee has 55 more

Orleans County today is reporting three more Covid-related deaths, with two at the Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Medina and the other a community member over age 65.

Both residents at Orchard are over age 65. That facility has now had 26 residents pass away due to Covid during the pandemic. The county has 67 deaths total from Covid, according to the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.

In Orleans County, there are also 29 new Covid cases to report today for a total of 1,862 positive cases since March.

The 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 new cases, 7 were on quarantine prior to testing positive.

Orleans also is reporting that of the new cases 2 are residents of Orchard Rehabilitation and

Nursing Center, and 2 are inmates at the Orleans Correctional Facility.

The county also is reporting today that 38 more individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation.

Orleans currently has 18 residents hospitalized due to Covid.

Albion Central School reports today that one remote student from Middle School has tested positive for Covid-19. Due to the fact the student is remote, there is no need to contact trace any additional staff or students, the district officials stated on its website.

Medina Central School is reporting one high school student has tested positive for Covid-19. The district is in process of notifying the families of anyone who may have come into close contact with the student.

In Genesee County, there are 55 new positive cases to report today for a total of 3,288 confirmed 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.

Genesee County did a drive-through testing clinic on Thursday. Of the 600 tests, 42 tested positive, including 38 from Genesee County.

Genesee also has 72 more people recovered and removed from the isolation list.

There are 9 residents from Genesee currently hospitalized due to Covid.

• Data Update – There will be no reporting or map update on Monday, which is the Martin Luther King, Jr Holiday. Check the state site for updates. To review the raw positive data for each of the counties, click here.

2 counties combined pass 5,000 Covid cases in pandemic

Orleans and Genesee counties combined are reporting 99 more Covid-19 cases today, which pushes the two counties past 5,000 since March at the start of the pandemic.

The two counties together have 97,632 people (57,280 in Genesee and 40,352 in Orleans, according to the 2019 Census estimate.) With 5,066 confirmed cases, that represents 5.2 percent of the combined population who have had Covid-19.

Genesee has had a higher percentage of its population test positive compared to Orleans. Orleans has had 4.5 percent (1,833 out of 40,352) while in Genesee, the percentage of the population that has tested positive is 5.6 (3,233 out of 57,280).

In Orleans County, today there are 50 new confirmed cases for 1,833 total since March.

The 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, 2 were on quarantine prior to testing positive.

The new cases include two residents of Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Medina.

Orleans County hosted a rapid Covid testing clinic on Wednesday at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds. Of those 513 tests, 22 were positive for Covid, including 21 Orleans County residents.

Orleans is reporting 34 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation.

Orleans currently has 17 residents hospitalized due to Covid.

• Albion Central School is reporting today that three students – hybrid student from the High School and two hybrid students from the Middle School – have tested positive for Covid-19. One of the students was last in school on Jan. 5. Due to the 48-hour look-back period, the Department of Health determined there is no need to quarantine any additional staff or students, the district stated on its website.

The second and third students were in school on Jan. 11. Students and staff members deemed to have been in close contact with the student have been identified by the Department of Health.

• Medina Central School is reporting today a student at Wise Middle School has tested positive for Covid. The district is in the process of notifying the families of anyone who may have come into close contact with the student.

Out of an abundance of caution, this student’s class will switch to 100 percent virtual during the quarantine period, said Mark Kruzynski, the district superintendent, in a letter on the district website.

In Genesee County, there are 49 new confirmed cases of Covid reported today for a total of 3,233 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.

Genesee also is reporting 66 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list. (The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments said there was a miscount for reporting the number of people recovered yesterday. There were 2,517 people recovered from Covid-19 yesterday in Genesee County, not 2,515.)

Genesee also has 10 people hospitalized due to Covid.

The county also has had two more residents pass away due to a Covid-related illness. They were both residents over age 65 at Premier Genesee Center for Nursing & Rehabilitation in Batavia. Genesee has now had 39 people die due to Covid, including 32 since Dec. 1.

NYS Vaccination Sites – Message from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments: (Updated today) The “Am I Eligible” website has changed this afternoon to only show the NYS-run vaccination sites. The Covid-19 Vaccination Hotline is for scheduling vaccination appointments for eligible New Yorkers at the New York State-run vaccination sites only: 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829). Use their online tool to find a location. Appointments are required. If you visit a location without an appointment you will not receive a vaccine. We apologize for any confusion, the state just updated this information late this afternoon.

The Finger Lakes Region, which was the leading the state with the highest positivity rate and hospitalization rate, is seeing a drop in both.

The Region, which includes Orleans and eight other counties, is still above the statewide average for positive tests – 6.95 percent on Wednesday in the state compared to 8.28 percent in the Finger Lakes.

The Finger Lakes had the fourth highest percent on Wednesday, behind the 9.18 percent in the Mohawk Valley, 8.69 percent on Long Island and 8.45 percent on the Capital Region. The Finger Lakes was over 10 percent as recently as Jan. 7 when it was 10.22 percent.

Wyoming County has the highest positivity rates among the nine counties in the Finger Lakes Region in the past seven days (10.1 percent) and in the past 14 days (12.4 percent).

Positivity rate in Finger Lakes Region counties

• Genesee, 8.2% last 7 days; 10.1% last 14 days
• Livingston, 8.2% last 7 days; 9.6% last 14 days
• Monroe, 8.1% last 7 days; 8.8% last 14 days
• Ontario, 8.4% last 7 days; 9.4% last 14 days
• Orleans, 9.3% last 7 days; 9.8% last 14 days
• Seneca, 7.1% last 7 days; 8.5% last 14 days
• Wayne, 8.0% last 7 days; 8.8% last 14 days
• Wyoming, 10.1% last 7 days; 12.4% last 14 days
• Yates, 9.7% last 7 days; 9.7% last 14 days

Among the 10 regions, the Finger Lakes has the fourth highest percent positive in last 7 days at 8.3 percent. That’s less than the Mohawk Valley, 9.2 percent; Long Island, 8.7 percent; and the Capital Region, 8.4 percent. Western NY was at 7.4 percent. The Southern Tier is the lowest at 4.3 percent

Going back 14 days, the positivity rate in the Finger Lakes is 9.1 percent, which is lower than the Mohawk Valley, 9.8 percent; Capital Region, 9.2 percent; and the same as Long Island, 9.1 percent. Western NY is at 7.9 percent over the past 14 days and the Southern Tier, at 4.8 percent, is the lowest among the 10 regions.

Hospitalizations

The number of people hospitalized due to Covid in the Finger Lakes was 830 on Wednesday, which is down from 874 on Tuesday, 919 on Jan. 1 and a high of 964 on Dec. 28.

While hospitalizations are decreasing the Finger Lakes, they have been steadily rising statewide. The 8,929 hospitalizations on Jan. 12 was the most since 9,179 on May 5. The state reached a pandemic high with 18,825 on April 12.