The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments are reporting 9 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Orleans and 8 in Genesee.

However, the number in Genesee is likely higher. Genesee is listed by the local health department as 960 total cases since March, but the state has the number of cases in Genesee at 1,041.

“Our goal is to make sure the data provided to our communities is as accurate as possible. In order to provide accurate numbers, case investigations include contacting the individuals, of which some are not county residents,” the Health Departments said in a news briefing this evening. “This will show discrepancies between the local numbers and the state numbers. The numbers reported are those cases we have accurate data and have had contact with the individual and all their subsequent contacts.”

In Orleans County, the 9 new positive cases bring the total to 632 confirmed cases since March. The new positive cases reside Barre, Clarendon, Murray, Ridgeway and Shelby.

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

Orleans also is reporting 11 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.

The Health Department also said one of the new positive cases was recovered prior to the department receiving the test results and is being included in the recovered data.

The number of hospitalizations increased to 6. On Friday, there were two Orleans residents hospitalized due to Covid-19.

In Genesee County, the new cases are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.

Genesee has also had 126 of the previous positive individuals recover and be removed from the isolation list.

One of the individuals identified at The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at

Batavia and one of the individuals identified at the Batavia VA Medical Center have been identified as out-of-county residents and have been removed from the Genesee facility and total count.

Genesee currently has 12 residents hospitalized due to Covid-19.

Message from the G-O Health Departments: We can’t stress enough the importance to limit time with non-household members. Continue to do your best to limit the spread of Covid-19 and the flu by frequently washing/sanitizing your hands, wearing a mask/face-covering over your mouth and nose when out in public and keeping at least 6 feet from non-household members.

If you are not feeling well, please stay home and contact your primary care provider for guidance.

Orleans reports 37 more recoveries from Covid; Genesee also reports a death from Covid

In its first update since Wednesday in local Covid-19 cases, The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments reported 127 new cases in Genesee and 36 new confirmed cases in Orleans.

“Due to the high number of cases from the long weekend we are finalizing the data and will have it updated along with the charts tomorrow,” the Health Departments said in a new briefing at 5 p.m. today.

In Orleans, the 36 new cases bring the total to 623 positive cases since March. The new positive cases reside in Albion, Barre, Clarendon, Gaines, Kendall, Murray, Ridgeway and Shelby. The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.

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

Orleans also is reporting 37 more recoveries and they have been removed from the isolation list. In addition, three of the new positive cases were recovered prior to the Health Department receiving the test results and are included in the recovered data.

Orleans also is reporting one of new positive cases is an inmate at the Albion Correctional Facility, a women’s prison.

• 2 students, 1 staff member test positive at Albion Central School: The school district said that today it was informed that two students and one staff member tested positive for Covid-19 over Thanksgiving break. One of the students is learning 100 percent remotely while the other is a hybrid learner in the elementary school. The staff member works in the middle school.

The hybrid student was last in school on Tuesday, Nov. 17, the district said. Due to the 48-hour look-back period, the Department of Health determined there is no need to conduct contact tracing in school for either student, according to message from the district.

The Health Department has completed contact tracing for the staff member and has communicated with any close contacts.

• Lyndonville staff member tests positive: The Lyndonville school district reported on Saturday that a staff member has tested positive for Covid-19. The staff member was last on campus on Nov. 16. As a result of precautionary measures, we have identified no close contacts as a result of this positive case, and therefore there is no need for any quarantine or remote learning, District Superintendent Jason Smith said.

• Medina reports 2 students, 3 staff members test positive: Medina Central School today notified the community that two students and three staff members have tested positive for Covid-19. That includes a student and staff member in the high school, two staff members in the middle school and one student in the elementary school.

The district is working with the Health Department to determine the the quarantine needs of the school. That includes one classroom section in the middle school and one classroom section in the elementary school being on quarantine.

In Genesee County, the 127 new positive cases of Covid bring the total to 954 since March. Complete details of the new cases will be included in tomorrow’s press briefing, the Health Departments said.

Of the new cases, 15 are residents at The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at Batavia and 7 are from the Batavia VA Medical Center.

Genesee is reporting that 12 of the current positive individuals are hospitalized.

Genesee County also had a resident pass away from Covid, bringing the total deaths from Covid in the county to 7. The individual was over the age of 65.

“To protect the individual’s privacy we will not be reporting any further information,” according to the news release from the Health Departments. “Our deepest condolences to this person’s family and friends on their loss during this very difficult time.”

More from the Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments:

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.

Situational Update: We can’t stress enough the importance to limit time with non-household members. Continue to do your best to limit the spread of Covid-19 and the flu by frequently washing/sanitizing your hands, wear a mask/face-covering over your mouth and nose when out in public and keep at least 6 feet from non-household members. If you are not feeling well, please stay home and contact your primary care provider for guidance.

Genesee County has one of the highest positive rates for Covid tests in the state in the past week, according to data from the state.

Genesee’s rate of 6.8 percent in the past seven days is topped only by the 7.3 percent in Allegany County and 7.0 percent in Erie County.

Orleans County’s positive rate is about half of Genesee’s in the past week at 3.3 percent.

There are several counties with positivity rates at 5 percent or more in the past week (with the county’s region in parentheses): Cortland (Central NY), 6.4 percent; Oswego (Central NY), 5.1 percent; Monroe (Finger Lakes), 5.7 percent; Wyoming (Finger Lakes), 5.7 percent; Orange (Mid-Hudson), 5.1 percent; Putnam (Mid-Hudson), 6.5 percent; Chemung (Southern Tier), 6.0 percent, Cattaraugus (WNY), 6.4 percent and Niagara (WNY), 6.3 percent.

To see more information on the data from the state, click here.

So far Genesee hasn’t been designated in a focus zone that can result in more restrictions on gathering sizes, and reduced capacity for businesses. Schools also would need to test 20 percent of students and staff weekly in a yellow zone or go to remote instruction in an orange or red zone.

TIER 3: Genesee, with a population over 50,000 and less than 150,000, is listed in the tier 3 by the state for metrics for determining the focus zones.

Here are the criteria from the state for Tier 3 counties in the three different focus zones:

Yellow: Geographic area has 7-day rolling average positivity above 3.5% for 10 days and the geographic area has 15 or more new daily cases per 100,000 residents on 7-day average

Orange: Geographic area has 7-day rolling average positivity above 4.5% for 10 days and the geographic area has 15 or more new daily cases per 100,000 residents on 7-day average.

Red: Geographic area has 7-day rolling average positivity above 5.5% for 10 days and the geographic area has 15 or more new daily cases per 100,000 residents on 7-day average.

TIER 4: Orleans is considered a Tier 4 county (population less than 50,000). The metrics for the focus zones in Tier 4 include:

Yellow: Geographic area has 7-day rolling average positivity above 4% for 10 days and the geographic area has 15 or more new daily cases per 100,000 residents on 7-day average.

Orange: Geographic area has 7-day rolling average positivity above 5% for 10 days and the geographic area has 15 or more new daily cases per 100,000 residents on 7-day average

Red: Geographic area has 7-day rolling average positivity above 6% for 10 days and the geographic area has 15 or more new daily cases per 100,000 residents on 7-day average.

The state also is considering other factors in a focus zone:

• The geographic areas have a minimum of 5 new cases per day on 7-day average for geographic areas (i.e. ZIP code) with 10,000 or more residents, minimum of 3 new cases on 7-day average per day for areas with less than 10,000 residents.
• The increase in positive cases or positivity reflect community spread and cannot be mostly explained by a cluster in a single institution (e.g. nursing home, factory, college, etc.) or household transmission.
• The State Department of Health, in consultation with the local department of health, finds that based on the above listed metrics, and other epidemiological factors, such as an upward trend in total and daily hospital admissions from residents of this geographic area, that a zone designation is appropriate.

The number of people hospitalized from Covid-19 has more than quadrupled in both the Finger Lakes Region (which includes Orleans County) and the Western New York Region since Nov. 1.

On Nov. 1 there were 92 hospitalized from Covid in the Finger Lakes and that increased to 371 on Nov. 28. In Western New York, the number hospitalized from Covid went from 90 on Nov. 1 to 386 on Nov. 28.

That is a greater increase than state-wide, which has seen hospitalizations triple from 1,151 on Nov. 1 to 3,372 reported today by Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office.

The state was at a low point in hospitalizations from Covid with 410 on Sept. 5. It crossed 1,000 for the first time in the fall surge with 1,023 on Oct. 22.

That is still way down from the Covid peak of 18,825 Covid hospitalizations on April 12. State-wide the hospitalizations from Covid was at 10,350 on May 1, 3,121 on June 1, and 878 on July 1. The hospitalizations have been rising fast this month from the 1,151 on Nov. 1, to 2,124 on Nov. 16, and then passing 3,000 on Nov. 25 with 3,056.

Western New York has the highest rate of positive Covid tests among the regions of the state. Orleans County is in the Finger Lakes Region, which has the second highest average the past 7 days.

Genesee and Orleans Health Department haven’t updated the local stats since Wednesday. They said they will provide new numbers of cases and hospitalizations on Monday.

Gov. Cuomo has been providing daily updates, even on Thanksgiving. Here are the state-wide numbers the past four days:

• Today: Of the 157,320 tests reported on Saturday, 6,723 were positive (4.27% of total). Total hospitalizations are at 3,372. There were 55 Covid fatalities on Saturday.
• Saturday: Of the 152,355 tests reported on Friday, 6,063 were positive (3.98% of total). Total hospitalizations were at 3,287. There were 42 Covid fatalities on Friday.
• Friday: Of the 219,442 tests reported on Thursday, 8,176 were positive (3.72% of total). The 219,442 tests was a new record for most tests in one day. Total hospitalizations were at 3,103. There were 39 Covid fatalities on Thursday.
• Thursday: Of the 217,721 tests reported on Wednesday, 6,933 were positive (3.18% of total). Total hospitalizations were at 3,056. There were 67 Covid fatalities on Wednesday.

“If you look at New York relative only to New York, you see the numbers going up — not as fast as in other states, but the numbers are going up,” Cuomo said today. “It’s nice that we’re doing better in a national and global context, but it’s irrelevant to one extent because we have to deal with the issues that we have here in New York relative to New York.”

He expects the numbers will continue to go up through the holiday season past Jan. 1.

“This is a new phase for Covid — call it the winter phase or the holiday phase or the surge upon surge phase — and we are spending this weekend talking to health officials and local governments about the plan for that next phase,” Cuomo said. “We’ll be speaking to that tomorrow and this week with more details. In the meantime, everyone needs to stay vigilant: wear your mask, wash your hands, maintain social distance, and above all stay New York Tough.”

Here are some of the recent testing rates for zone clusters in counties near Orleans.

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Press Release, Genesee County Health Department

BATAVIA – The Genesee County Health Department has received a positive Covid-19 test from an individual who was at Kelly’s Holland Inn, 25 Evans St. in Batavia, on the following dates:

• Tuesday, November 17^th, between the hours of 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Wednesday, November 18^th, between the hours of 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Thursday, November 19^th, between the hours of 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Friday, November 20th between the hours of 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

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

We advise all individuals who were at Kelly’s Holland Inn 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.

In past 7 days Genesee has added 212 new cases while Orleans has 49 more

Orleans and Genesee counties are reporting 45 new cases combined today.

In Orleans, there are 11 new confirmed cases for a total of 587 positive cases since March. The new positive cases reside in Albion, Clarendon, Gaines, Murray, Ridgeway and Shelby.

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 40s, 50s and 60s. None of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments said this afternoon.

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

Two of the current positive individuals are hospitalized.

• Medina Middle Schooler tests positive: Medina Central School was informed that a student at Wise Intermediate Middle School has tested positive for Covid. That student hasn’t been on campus since Nov. 17, and was on mandatory quarantine due to exposure to Covid, district superintendent Mark Kruzynski wrote today in a letter to district families and staff.

“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, there are 34 new positive cases of Covid for a total of 827 since March.

The new positive cases reside in Alexander, Batavia, Bergen, Elba, LeRoy, Oakfield, Pembroke and Stafford.

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

Genesee reports that 14 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed

from the isolation list.

Genesee has 16 residents hospitalized who have Covid.

• Covid cases rose significantly in past seven days: Since Nov. 18, Genesee has added 212 cases, from 615 to 827. Geneses’s recoveries also are up by 126.

In Orleans, the cases since a week ago increased by 49, from 538 to 587 with 79 recoveries.

• 3-county data: To see an online map of confirmed cases in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties, click here. There are currently 315 active cases in the three counties, with 221 in Genesee, 41 in Orleans and 53 in Wyoming.

More from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments:

• No updates until Monday: Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, both Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments will be closed on Thursday and Friday. We will not be updating the websites or the maps on these days and over the weekend.

Our next update will be Monday afternoon to include data from today after 2:00 p.m. until Monday afternoon. Many of our staff will be working to handle investigations and quarantine-related issues. We hope you have a safe, healthy and Happy Thanksgiving.

Over this weekend, we can’t stress enough the importance to limit time with non-household members. Continue to do your best to limit the spread of Covid-19 and the flu by frequently washing/sanitizing your hands, wearing a mask/face-covering over your mouth and nose when out in public and keeping at least 6 feet from non-household members. If you are not feeling well, please stay home and contact your primary care provider for guidance.

Press Release, Oak Orchard Health

ALBION — Due to the rise of Coronavirus cases, there is an increasing demand for tests. Many of our health centers including Albion, Brockport, and Hornell provide testing for people with and without symptoms.

At the Corfu, Batavia, and Alexander locations we are testing people with symptoms who meet the criteria. To keep everyone safe, all testing is by appointment only.

Covid-19 swab tests are available at our health centers outdoors to ensure safety for patients and staff, however, if you have symptoms, please call in advance for arrival instructions. Test results are typically back in 3-5 days but in some cases can take up to seven business days.

“We want the community to know that Oak Orchard Health is here for them should they need a Covid-19 test. We have several testing locations and options including a free LetsGetChecked Self-Collection Kit,” said Dr. Mary Obear, MD, PhD, Chief Clinical Officer, Oak Orchard Health.

Regarding payment, Oak Orchard starts by billing the insurance companies (co-pays may apply), and should it not be covered, we also offer a sliding fee scale discount based on family size and annual income. For questions or more information, please call (585) 637-3905 ext. 221.

The LetsGetChecked Covid-19 Self Collection Kits were purchased by Oak Orchard but are being given out free to our patients 18 years of age or older. They can be used at home but are in limited supply. The kits can be used when appropriate based on current testing guidelines. The test kit comes with a UPS next day air return shipping label to send your sample back to the lab. They aim to deliver your results within 24-72 hours of your sample being received in their laboratory.

Take a moment look at the Covid-19 testing options available at Oak Orchard Health. For more information, click here or call (585) 637-3905.

MEDINA – In spite of not being able to have an in-person fundraising event this year, Orleans Community Health’s Mega Drawing on Tuesday was a huge success, according to Heather Smith, director of the hospital’s Foundation.

“We are so thrilled with how it went,” Smith said, after the drawing took place live on Facebook at noon Tuesday. “It was our first time hosting a live virtual fundraiser and it will not be our last.”

Participating in the live drawing with Smith were hospital CEO Marc Shurtz and Foundation board member Jeanne Crane.

Smith said the Foundation was in the early stages of planning an event when Covid-19 first hit the region in March. They had originally planned for it to take place outside at Leonard Oakes Estate Winery in August, but in April the committee decided to put all fundraising plans on hold.

“After thinking things through and doing a little research, we decided we could do this event completely virtual through Facebook,” Smith said. “It was much simpler than I thought it would be. We will definitely do something like this again in the near future. We did sell out all 300 tickets with a net profit of just over $18,000. All our winners live locally and represent hospital employees, the fire department, local business owners and community members.”

Seven cash prizes were awarded, ranging from $10,000 to $100, in addition to a lottery tree, office chair and Buffalo Bills fire pit.

Due to the success of the event, Smith said they are able to finalize fundraising for two special projects they are working on with Orleans Community Health. One is the Recovery Room renovation in memory of Nancy Albanese, where they plan to update the lighting, install secure patient lockers, replace the nurses desk, privacy curtains and flooring and install new storage cabinets.

The second project is at the dialysis units in Medina and Batavia. Both locations will receive a new wheelchair scale and new office chairs for the nursing stations and administrative offices. Lastly, they will soon receive a few new laptops to assist with charting while working chair-side with the patients.

Smith extended the Orleans Community Health Foundation’s thanks to all who purchased a ticket and to sponsors, which included Lawley Insurance, Lumsden and McCormick, Dr. Joseph Canzoneri of the Wound Care Center at Medina Memorial Hospital, Western New York Energy, the Greater Rochester Health Foundation and Takeform.

Scratch-off donors were Cusimano’s Pizzeria, Zambistro, Leonard Oakes Estate Winery and the OCH Foundation board members. In addition, prizes were donated for the drawing from Indoff and Orleans/Niagara BOCES.

“Everyone was so enthusiastic about the drawing and so glad to participate,” Smith said.

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.