Genesee County also reports a death due to Covid-19

The Covid cases continue a rapid rise in Genesee County with 64 more confirmed cases today, following 77 on Monday, which was the first update since Friday.

Genesee County also is reporting a resident under age 65 has passed away due to Covid. That is the county’s sixth death from Covid since March.

“To protect the individual’s privacy we will not be reporting any further information,” a news briefing from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Department stated this afternoon. “Our deepest condolences to this person’s family and friends on their loss during this very difficult time.”

Orleans County is reporting five new cases today. The county has now had 576 people test positive for Covid since March.

The five new positive cases are residents of Barre, Carlton, Clarendon, Kendall and Murray. The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 40s and 60s.

One of the new cases was on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Health Department said.

Orleans also is reporting six more recoveries and those individuals have been removed from the isolation list.

The county has two residents hospitalized due to Covid.

• Albion student tests positive: Albion Central School notified residents this afternoon a middle school has tested positive for Covid-19. That student is a hybrid learner, attending in-person classes twice a week.

The student was last in school on Tuesday, Nov. 17, and started presenting symptoms on Nov. 18. Contact tracing has been completed and the district has assisted the Department of Health by notifying any staff members or parents of any students who were identified as being close contacts. Official notifications will ultimately be made by the Department of Health, the district said.

•3 Medina students, school employee test positive for Covid: Medina Central School in a letter to the community on Monday reported that two high school students, one middle schooler and one district office employee had tested positive for Covid. The three students have not been on campus “for quite some time,” according to the letter from Mark Kruzynski, district superintendent.

“In this situation, the Department of Health has determined that there will not be a need for any further school-related quarantines due to these cases,” Kruzynski said. “However, any determination of the need for quarantine will come directly from the Health Department.”

In Genesee County, the 64 new cases today bring the county’s total to 793 since March.

The new positive cases are residents of Alabama, Alexander, Batavia, Bergen, Bethany, Byron, Darien, Elba, LeRoy, Oakfield, Pavilion, Pembroke and Stafford.

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s. Five of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

Genesee also is reporting 30 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.

Genesee has 13 residents hospitalized due to Covid.

More from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Department:

• Business Reminder: It is important to periodically review your Business Safety Plan that was developed earlier on in the pandemic. As part of the plan, businesses were encouraged to develop contact sheets for all patrons to assist with contact tracing in the event of a potential Covid-19 exposure. This will help in investigations and will limit the necessity of press releases which will help limit potential spread.

• Covid-19 Reminders: If people are identified as a contact, they will be notified by the County Health Department, quarantined and if warranted, swabbed if indicated. Limited information is provided to the public in compliance with HIPAA regulations and out of the respect of those impacted by this virus.

• When, and if, there is a situation where potential contact is made in a public location where contact tracing doesn’t have actual names of close contacts, we will send out a media announcement to help seek contacts.
• If you are experiencing any Covid-related symptoms STAY HOME! Do not go to work, do not go to the store, do not go anywhere to avoid spreading the virus.
• We encourage everyone to remember to be polite and respect individual privacy. If you have a complaint about someone or a business use the appropriate channels provided by the state. Using social media to air your complaints and accusing individuals/businesses of wrongdoing generally does nothing to fix the problem. Be compassionate of other people and spread kindness.

• Faith-based organizations: Consider continuing or reinstating remote worship due to increased numbers of positive Covid-19 cases to protect your more vulnerable population.

For those who are at risk of complications for Covid-19 or the flu, consider to connect with your house of worship remotely to lessen the risk of contracting Covid-19 or the flu.

If you are sick or experiencing new symptoms, stay home and worship remotely. Don’t share your germs with others.

Health Alert from Genesee County Health Department

The Genesee County Health Department is alerting the public to possible Covid-19 exposures at The Le Roy Moose Lodge and the Flying J Travel Center in Pembroke.

Contact tracing is in progress. However, unidentified individuals may have unknowingly been in contact with the positive cases.

Le Roy Moose Lodge:

• Monday, November 16^th, between the hours of 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.

• Friday, November 20^th, between the hour of 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

• Saturday, November 21^st, between the hours of 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Flying J Travel Center:

• Tuesday, November 17^th, between the hours of 3 p.m. to 10 p.m.

• Wednesday, November 18^th, between the hours of 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.

• Thursday, November 19^th, between the hours of 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

We advise all individuals who were at the LeRoy Moose Lodge or the Flying J Travel Center on the stated dates and times to monitor their symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms of Covid-19 develop, contact your primary care provider to seek testing immediately and self-isolate until you receive your test results.

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.

It’s flu season and cases are started to show up, especially in Western New York.

The State Health Department reported there were 197 cases of the flu from Nov. 8-14, and 102 of those were in Western New York.

Erie County had the most with 79. Orleans County didn’t have any confirmed cases that week, but its neighbors had some. Genesee County had two cases, while Niagara reported six cases, and Monroe had 9.

So far this flu season there are 648 cases. The 197 from Nov. 8-14 are up 17 percent from the 162 the previous week.

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Department encourage people to get their flu shots to build up their immunity.

Hospitalizations from Covid up to 17 in the 2 counties

Orleans and Genesee counties are reporting 106 new cases of Covid-19 since Friday, and also 73 recoveries of people who had Covid and have been released from mandatory isolation.

Orleans has 29 new confirmed cases since Friday,  bringing the county’s total to 571 since March.

The new positive cases are residents of Albion, Barre, Clarendon, Gaines, Murray, Ridgeway, Shelby and Yates.

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. Nine individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Department reported this afternoon.

Orleans also has 36 more recoveries of people who tested positive for Covid and have been removed from the isolation list.

The county has two people hospitalized due to Covid.

(The Health Department also reported that four of the 29 new totals being reported today were not included in the mandatory isolation count as their positive test results were received after their isolation period was completed. The local health officials encourage anyone who has been tested to self-isolate and limit contact with others while waiting on the test results, especially if there are symptoms.)

• Inmate at Albion Correctional tests positive: An inmate has a confirmed case of Covid at the Albion Correctional Facility. This is the tenth inmate to test positive at the women’s prison.

• Albion Middle Schooler tests positive for Covid: The Albion school district also reported this afternoon that a Middle School student tested positive for Covid on Saturday, Nov. 21. The student is a hybrid learner in the middle school.

Since the student was last in school on Friday, Nov. 13, the Health Department determined there is no need to do further contact tracing due to the 48-hour look-back period, school officials said on the district website.

In Genesee County, there are 77 new confirmed cases since Friday, bringing the county’s total to 729 since March.

The new positive cases reside in Batavia, Darien, Elba, LeRoy, Oakfield, Pavilion and Pembroke.

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. Two of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

The Health Department reports that 37 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.

In Genesee, there are 15 people hospitalized due to Covid, which is up from eight on Friday.

• 3-county data: Click here to see the confirmed cases in genes, Orleans and Wyoming counties. There are currently 254 active cases in the three counties, with 168 in Genesee, 36 in Orleans and 50 in Wyoming.

Photo by Tom Rivers

MEDINA – This sign was in the front yard of a residence on Ohio Street, across from Medina Memorial Hospital, showing appreciation for nurses who are on the front lines of providing healthcare in the community.

Marc Shurtz, CEO of Orleans Community Health and the hospital, spoke at a news conference on Thursday outside Medina Memorial with U.S. Sen. Charles Schemer. The senator said he is pushing for federal funding for a free Covid testing site in Orleans County.

Shurtz praised the local healthcare workers for stepping up during the Covid pandemic to serve residents, many who are critically ill.

“Our health workers are on the front lines of this pandemic every day,” Shurtz said at the conference.

In past week Genesee had 150 new cases, while Orleans added 48

Orleans County has one new confirmed case of Covid-19 to report today, which is the fewest in the past two weeks.

Genesee, however, has 17 new confirmed cases today, the Genesee and Orleans County health Departments said in a news briefing this afternoon.

Orleans has 48 more cases in the past week since Nov. 13, while Genesee has 150 new cases during those seven days. Orleans has now had 542 positive cases since March while Genesee is up to 652 cases.

The new positive case in Orleans is a Barre resident in the age group of 0 to 19. The individual was not on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

Orleans also has 29 more recoveries and those people have been released from mandatory isolation. Orleans has now had 328 recoveries among people who contracted Covid, not counting resident sin nursing homes and other state-regulated facilities.

Orleans has three residents currently hospitalized due to Covid.

Genesee County received 17 new positive cases of Covid-19 today and now has had 652 test positive since March.

The new positive cases are residents of Alabama, Batavia, Darien, Elba and LeRoy. One of the new positive individuals is a resident at The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at Batavia.

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. One of the individuals was on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

Genesee also is reporting 19 more recoveries, bringing that total to 453 community residents.

Genesee has eight residents hospitalized due to Covid.

• 3-county data: To see an online map of confirmed cases in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties, click here. In the past month the local cases have really jumped in the three counties. Orleans was at 356 on Oct. 20, and now has had 542 test positive. Genesee was at 345 cases on Oct. 20, and now is at 652. Wyoming has nearly doubled its total cases, going from 175 on Oct. 20 to 343 today.

The number of active cases in the three counties is declining after a high of 268 on Wednesday. It was at 256 on Thursday and 216 today, with 128 in Genesee, 44 in Orleans and 44 in Wyoming.

Press Release, Genesee County Health Department

BATAVIA – The Genesee County Health Department has received 7 positive Covid-19 tests from individuals who attended funeral service arrangements on the following dates and locations:

• November 11^th, Gilmartin Funeral Home (333 W. Main Street, Batavia) between the hours of 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m.
• November 12^th, Resurrection Roman Catholic Church (303 E. Main Street, Batavia) between the hours of 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
• November 12^th, Saint Joseph’s Mausoleum (Ellicott Street, Batavia) between 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
• November 12^th, Polish Falcons of America (123 S. Swan Street, Batavia) between the hours of noon and 6 p.m.

Contact tracing is in progress. However, unidentified individuals may have unknowingly been in contact with the positive cases.

We advise all individuals who were at the locations listed to monitor their symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms of Covid-19 develop, contact your primary care provider to seek testing immediately and self-isolate until you receive your test results.

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.

Orleans also has 3 new confirmed Covid cases, while Genesee has 20 more today

Orleans County today is reporting a death from someone who had Covid-19. This is the second death this month in county from someone who contracted the coronavirus.

The death reported today is a person over age 65 who lives in the community. The county has now had 57 Covid-related deaths during the pandemic, with 54 of those at two nursing homes in the county.

“Due to privacy issues, we are not releasing further details about this individual,” the Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments said in a news briefing today. “We would like to express our sincerest sympathy for this individual’s family and friends.”

Orleans also has three new confirmed cases of Covid-19 today, bringing the total to 541 cases since March.

The new positive cases reside in Albion and Barre with the individuals in the age groups of 0-19, 40s and 50s. None of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

The county is reporting 4 more recoveries and have been removed from the isolation list.

Three from the county are currently hospitalized due to Covid-19.

• An Albion elementary student tests positive for Covid: The Albion school district also notified the community this afternoon that a hybrid learner in the elementary school has tested positive for Covid. The student is in school twice a week.

Since the student was last in school on Friday, Nov. 13, the Health Department determined there is no need to do further contact tracing due to the 48-hour look-back period, the school district said.

Genesee County received 20 new positive cases of Covid-19 today and has now had 635 test positive for Covid since March.

The new positive cases reside in Alexander, Batavia, Elba, LeRoy, Pembroke and Stafford. Four of the new positive individuals are residents at The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at Batavia.

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. None of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

The Health Departments are reporting that 26 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

Genesee also has 8 residents hospitalized due to Covid.

• 3-county data: Click here to see an online map of confirmed cases in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties. The number of active cases in the three counties is down today with more recoveries than new cases. There were 268 active cases in the three counties on Wednesday. Today there are 256 with 131 in Genesee, 72 in Orleans and 53 in Wyoming.

Supportive Care of Orleans also unveiled a new logo.

ALBION – Hospice of Orleans has announced a name change, designed to better reflect the services offered by the organization.

Hospice will now be known as Supportive Care of Orleans, according to a press release issued today by Kellie Spychalski, CEO.

The organization had planned an event for the public to make the announcement, but due to the pandemic and concerns about increased cases of Covid-19 in Orleans County, the new name was launched with a virtual presentation today through Facebook Live.

The organization, which provides expert medical care, symptom management and emotional and spiritual support tailored to the needs of the patient and their families, made the change in order to increase awareness of its various services.

The new name better reflects the broad range of supportive services, which go beyond what traditional hospice care encompasses, and includes supportive care for a variety of illnesses, not only those that are terminal, Spychalski said.

‘We support people throughout their illness. We provide care at every turn. No matter the illness. No matter the need. Supportive Care of Orleans is here to help those who are struggling with serious, chronic or life limiting illnesses, and we’re here for their loved ones, too.’ – Kellie Spychalski, CEO for Supportive Care of Orleans

Hospice of Orleans has a long history of providing supportive care to the community, and the name change to Supportive Care of Orleans is the next step in building on a legacy of compassionate care, she added.

Kellie Spychalski

“We’ve grown as an organization and we want to build on the tremendous bond we have built with our community,” Spychalski said. “We’ve responded to the growing needs of the community, and it made sense for us to align our identity with our evolved mission and expanded reach.”

The name change is also timely, Spychalski said, as November is National Hospice and Palliative Care Month, a month-long opportunity for engagement, outreach and education. It is the organization’s hope that the event will raise awareness of the important role hospice and palliative care have in increasing quality of life.

The new name and logo highlight the patient-centered care that is the hallmark of palliative and hospice programs, as well as how the organization is strongly rooted in the Orleans community. It will also help begin conversations about the comprehensive services and program the organization provides and the benefits to patients and families, such as the Martin-Linsin Residence, caregiver and bereavement support, complementary therapies and advanced care planning.

“We support people throughout their illness,” Spychalski said. “We provide care at every turn. No matter the illness. No matter the need. Supportive Care of Orleans is here to help those who are struggling with serious, chronic or life limiting illnesses, and we’re here for their loved ones, too.”

While the name has changed, patients and families can still count on the same level of service and quality of care, according to Supportive Care of Orleans’ leadership.

“Our mission is not changing,” Spychalski added. “We’re making life easier for patients and families facing serious illness and end of life, by providing choice, dignity and compassionate care with our umbrella of comprehensive services.”

More can be learned about Supportive Care of Orleans by visiting their website at www.supportivecareorleans.org.

Photos by Tom Rivers: U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer speaks outside the Medina Memorial Hospital this morning, saying he supports releasing $9 billion in federal aid for more Covid testing sites. Schumer said Orleans County, which doesn’t have a site offering free Covid testing, is hampered in quickly identifying cases. Paul Pettit, public health director of Genesee and Orleans counties, is in back. Schumer wore mask except when he was speaking at the podium.

MEDINA – U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer was in Medina this morning for a news conference outside Medina Memorial Hospital, highlighting the need for more Covid testing, including free options.

Right now, Orleans County residents have to travel outside the county for a free testing site in either Rochester, Buffalo or Niagara Community College in Sanborn.

That hampers the county’s ability to quickly identify a Covid outbreak, and is an inconvenience to residents who have to travel for the testing.

Schumer said there is $9 billion in federal funding already designated for Covid testing and contact tracing that hasn’t been released.

Schumer said he is pressing the Department of Health and Human Services to stop sitting on the money. A second wave of Covid is hitting the country hard, including in Orleans County and rural New York where more Covid testing is needed, Schumer said.

“Increasing Covid testing capacity is vital to keep our community safe and avoid other restrictive measures that can disrupt our businesses, in-school instruction and families,” said County Legislature Chairwoman Lynne Johnson. “I applaud Sen. Schumer’s efforts to free up existing federal testing funding now so that communities like Orleans County can have more access to testing.”

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer speaks to reporters at a news conference this morning outside Medina Memorial Hospital. He said Covid has been “awful” for families, businesses and school children. Increased Covid testing is critical to help the country slow the spread of the coronavirus, he said.

Paul Pettit, the public health director in Orleans and Genesee counties, said a lack of adequate Covid testing has been an issue in the rural counties since the pandemic hit in March.

There is testing available at Orleans Community Health’s Albion site and at Oak Orchard Health in Albion. But Pettit said there aren’t free testing sites in Orleans. Residents need to travel at least 45 minutes to Rochester, Buffalo or NCCC.

A free testing site would be helpful for asymptomatic people who are required by the state to be tested because they work at nursing homes, as barbers or hair stylists. People need to get Covid tests if they face a surgery or if they want to visit a loved one in a nursing home.

If Orleans is designated as a yellow micro-cluster, local school districts would have to test 20 percent of students and staff a week.

“If the state is going to have testing requirements they should make sure there is testing in place,” Pettit said.

At a minimum, Pettit would support a mobile testing site that could rotate different days in be in a different rural county each day of the week.

With the demands for more testing, Pettit said the local healthcare providers also should be given funding to hire staff to administer the tests.

Marc Shurtz, CEO of Orleans Community Health, said the community needs more testing right now, and could see a big increase in demand if the county is designated a yellow micro-cluster, where 20 percent of students and school staff would need to be tested weekly. Shurtz thanked Schumer for supporting the CARES Act, which provided $3.8 million for the hospital in Medina.

Orleans County is currently testing about 300 residents each day. Schumer noted the positivity rate has jumped from less than 1 percent in early October to about 6 percent now.

More testing would likely identify more people who are Covid positive and then have then be isolated where they aren’t spreading Covid.

Marc Shurtz, CEO of Orleans Community Health, said the two local testing sites in Albion are busy. He anticipates a greater demand, especially if the county is designated as a yellow micro-cluster.

He backed Pettit’s statement that more staff will be needed to administer the tests.

“We not only need more testing, but free testing,” Shurtz said. “That is the ultimate goal here today (with Schumer’s news conference.)”

Schumer said the $9 billion funding through HHS could be used for rapid testing machines and test kits. Right now there are two rapid testing machines in the county. Schumer would like to see seven or eight for Orleans, and thousands of the rapid testing kits.

Shurtz said more rapid tests would make a difference “in heading off Covid in the community.” Quickly identifying cases would also likely result in fewer Covid-related hospitalizations, Shurtz said.

U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer expresses his condolences to Diane Krenning on the death of her husband Bruce Krenning. He was 76 when he passed away on Aug. 24. Krenning was the chairman of the board of directors for Orleans Community Health. Krenning also was a fruit grower in Knowlesville who worked with Schumer to develop crop insurance for specialty fruit growers. Mrs. Krenning thanked Schumer at the news conference for that crop insurance program, saying it has saved hundreds of farms.

In past 8 days, Orleans has 86 cases, while Genesee has 143

Genesee and Orleans counties continue to see increases in Covid-19 cases with 9 more confirmed cases today in Orleans and 17 more in Genesee.

Orleans has now had 538 people test positive for Covid since March, including 86 in the past 8 days or 16 percent of the total.

In Genesee, 615 people have tested positive since March, including 143 in the past 8 days or 23 percent of the total.

In Orleans, the nine new cases today are residents in Barre, Carlton, Clarendon, Murray and Ridgeway. The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 40s, 50s and 60s.

Three of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments said.

Orleans also is reporting six more recoveries and those residents have been removed from the isolation list.

The county has four people hospitalized due to Covid, which is down from the six on Monday.

Genesee County’s 17 new positive cases are residents from Alexander, Batavia, Darien, Elba, LeRoy and Pembroke.

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

None of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Health Departments reported in a news briefing.

Genesee also is reporting 21 recoveries and those people have been removed from the isolation list.

Genesee continues to have 9 people hospitalized due to Covid.

Click here to see an online map of confirmed cases in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties. There are currently 268 active cases in the three counties, with 141 in Genesee, with 74 in Orleans and 53 in Wyoming.

Orleans County has 10 more confirmed cases of Covid-19 for a total of 529 positive cases since March.

The new positive cases reside in Albion, Barre, Clarendon, Murray, Ridgeway and Shelby. The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 60s and 70s.

Three of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

Eight of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments said. Orleans now has 289 recoveries in the community, which doesn’t include people in nursing homes or other facilities regulated by the state.

Orleans has four people hospitalized due to Covid-19.

• 2 Albion students test positive: The Albion school district also reported this afternoon that two students tested positive for Covid-19. One of the students is a hybrid learner from the high school while the other is a hybrid learner from the middle school.

Both students were last in school on Nov. 9. The Health Department determined there is no need to do further contact tracing due to the 48-hour look-back period, the school district said in an update on its website.

In Genesee County, there are 20 new confirmed cases, bringing Genesee’s total to 598 since March. (Two of the previous positive individuals were transferred to another county due to their residency.)

The new positive cases in Genesee are residents of Alexander, Batavia, Darien, Elba, LeRoy, Oakfield and Pembroke.

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

One of the individuals was on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Health Departments said.

Genesee is reporting 15 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list, bringing the recoveries in the community to 387.

In Genesee, nine people are hospitalized due to Covid-19.

State-wide data: Gov. Andrew Cuomo is reporting 5,088 people tested positive for Covid on Monday out of 159,852 tests results, for a 3.18 percent positivity rate.

The total hospitalizations are up to 2,124, which compares to 1,968 on Sunday. On Sept. 6, there were 410 hospitalizations in the state due to Covid, and 748 on Oct. 7.

“The number of cases across the country and in New York are only continuing to climb,” Cuomo said. “Despite our success in managing the spread, New York is not immune to this national surge of Covid. Our micro-cluster strategy and testing capacity will help us through this new season, but ensuring we don’t go back to where we were in the spring is going to depend on our behavior. We all have a part to play – wear a mask, stay socially distant, avoid gatherings large and small, and wash your hands religiously.”

Press Release, Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments

BATAVIA – The Genesee County Health Department has received a positive Covid-19 test from an individual who was at The Harvester in Batavia last week, November 8th through the 14th.

Contact tracing is in progress. However, unidentified individuals may have unknowingly been in contact with the positive case at the tavern.

We advise all individuals who were at The Harvester anytime last week to monitor their symptoms for 14 days. If symptoms of Covid-19 develop, contact your primary care provider to seek testing immediately and self-isolate until you receive your test results.

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.

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Orleans passes 500 cases since March; 2 counties have nearly 1,000 people on mandatory quarantine

Orleans County is reporting 25 new confirmed Covid-19 cases today in the first update since Friday. Genesee County is reporting 78 new cases. The two counties combined are reporting that 843 people are on mandatory quarantine with 633 in Genesee and 210 in Orleans.

The new confirmed cases in Orleans are in nine out of the 10 towns: Albion, Barre, Carlton, Clarendon, Gaines, Murray, Ridgeway, Shelby and Yates. Kendall is the only town without a new case since Friday.

The new cases are in all of the age groups categorized by the local Health Department: 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.

The Genesee & Orleans County health Departments are reporting three of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

In Orleans, 18 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list. The county now has six people hospitalized due to Covid-19.

• The Villages – The Health Department has been notified that 2 residents of The Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center have tested positive, the first new cases in the nursing home in several months. The Villages has now had 60 residents test positive during the pandemic. No further information will be shared by the Health Department.

• Medina Central School – The Health Department has been notified that one staff member of the Medina Central School District has tested positive. The individual is on mandatory isolation until they recover. Contact tracing has been done for those who are considered close contacts and will be on mandatory quarantine for 14 days from the last contact with the positive individual.

In Genesee County, there are 78 new confirmed cases from Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday. The county has now had 580 positive cases since March. This report reconciles the positive cases from last week including the 30 reported on Friday.

The new positive cases includes residents in 13 communities – Alabama, Alexander, Batavia, Bergen, Bethany, Byron, Darien, Elba, LeRoy, Oakfield, Pavilion, Pembroke and Stafford.

The new cases also include all of the age groups – 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.

Nine of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments said in a news briefing this evening.

Genesee is reporting that 31 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

There are currently 5 Genesee residents hospitalized due to Covid.

Two of the active positive cases are residents from The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at Batavia and one is a resident at the Batavia VA Medical Center.

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MEDINA – Orleans Community Health/Medina Memorial Hospital is hosting a series of focus groups this week in an effort to obtain community/consumer-based input on the services provided through the local healthcare system.

The local healthcare provider also wants to hear if there are any barriers residents may have experienced or know what others may experience when it comes to receiving proper healthcare throughout the county.

Anyone who lives or works in Orleans County is welcome to participate in these groups, according to Jessica Capurso, director of Outreach, Education and Marking at the hospital’s Community Partners.

All sessions will be presented in a hybrid format, meaning one can attend in person at the Shelby Fire Hall or attend virtually through a Zoom call. Due to the quick pace of the sessions, they will be limited to 10 participants each.

Session times and dates are 1 or 5:30 p.m. Nov. 17 and 18; 1 p.m. only on Nov. 19 and 5:30 p.m. only on Nov. 20.

For all those who attend in person at Shelby Fire Hall, a light meal, snacks and refreshments will be provided. Masks, sanitizer and temperature checks will be required upon entering the facility, and social distancing will be practiced throughout the event.

Registration is required by e-mailing Heather Smith, Orleans Community Health Foundation director, at hsmith@medinamemorial.org or calling her at (585) 798-8426.

In your e-mail or voice message, please be sure to include name, e-mail, phone number, date and time of the session you want to attend and indicate if you are attending in person or through Zoom. For those attending via Zoom, Smith will send a link to log in before noon the day of the meeting.

Smith extended thanks to Shelby Fire hall for donating their space for these sessions.

“We appreciate their dedication to improving healthcare throughout our community,” Smith said.

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