County moves from last to tied for 7^th lowest among 62 counties

Jessica Sutch, an employee with the Job Development Agency in Orleans County, holds a sticker given to people who get vaccinated at a mass clinic at the Ridgeway fire hall. She has been among the volunteers for several months at the vaccine clinics and the Covid testing sites before that run by the Health Department.

Orleans County continues to move past counties in the push to get residents vaccinated.

In early April, Orleans had the lowest percent of residents with at least one vaccine dose among the 62 counties in the state.

Orleans on April 27^th moved up to a tie with Fulton County for the third lowest vaccination rate at 32.8 percent.

On Saturday, Orleans was tied was seventh lowest with Steuben County at 35.2 percent. That is still well below the state-wide rate of 46.3 percent with at least one dose or 9,243,145 and the Finger Lakes Region’s rate of 47.4 percent.

Here the 10 lowest vaccination rates (at least one dose) for NY counties:

• Allegany County (population: 46,430) – 31.1 percent
• Cattaraugus County (population: 76,840) – 34.1 percent
• Tioga County (population: 48,560) – 34.4 percent
• Lewis County (population: 26,447) – 34.7 percent
• Bronx County (population: 1,432,132) – 34.9 percent
• Fulton County (population: 53,591) – 35.0 percent
• Steuben County (population 95,796) – 35.2 percent
• Orleans County (population 40,612) – 35.2 percent
• Jefferson County (population: 111,755) – 35.4 percent
• Chemung County (population 84,254) – 36.8 percent

In Orleans County, the state’s Vaccine Tracker reports that 14,308 people out of 40,612 have received at least one dose for 35.2 percent. The county has had 26.7 percent or 10,844 of its population complete the vaccine series, the state reported.

The vaccine has been available through pharmacies, Orleans Community Health, Oak Orchard Health and other healthcare providers, as well as the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments. The G-O Health Department has been running mass vaccination sites at the Ridgeway Fire Hall and GCC in Batavia.

The Ridgeway site is nearing 10,000 doses. Staff and volunteers at the site have now administered 5,311 first doses and 4,035 second doses, said Paul Pettit, public health for Orleans and Genesee.

Orleans is behind the rate among similar-size nearby rural counties. The rates for the GLOW counties include:

• Genesee County (population: 57,511) – 41.0 percent
• Livingston County (population: 63,227) – 41.4 percent
• Orleans County (population 40,612) – 35.2 percent
• Wyoming County (population: 40,085) – 36.7 percent

Students urged to get vaccinated ahead of prom, graduation

There are 20 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 to report today in Genesee and Orleans counties, bringing the combined total to 7,974 cases in the two counties since March 2020. That includes 5,077 in Genesee and 2,897 in Orleans. Since last Friday, there are 164 more cases in the two counties, with 79 in Genesee and 85 in Orleans.

In Orleans County there are 11 new positive cases reported today and they are 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, 50s, 60s, and 70s.

Five of the new positive individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Genesee and Orleans County health Departments said this afternoon.

Orleans is reporting 15 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

There are currently 3 Orleans residents hospitalized due to Covid.

One of the newly positive individuals is an inmate at the Albion Correctional Facility, where 53 inmates have now tested positive for Covid during the pandemic.

In Genesee County there are 9 new positive cases of Covid reported today, and they are 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, 40s, 50s and 60s.

Genesee reported 18 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

There are currently 7 Genesee County residents hospitalized due to Covid.

Active Cases: The number of active cases in both counties is down from a week ago as recoveries outpace new infections. There were 185 active cases on April 23, compared to 163 today in the two counties. Genesee has dropped from 84 to 69 in the past week, and Orleans is down from 101 to 94.

Groups asked to host a vaccination clinic: The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments is encouraging businesses, churches and organizations to consider hosting vaccination clinics for their employees, members and their families. Click here to fill out a short survey about hosting a vaccine clinic.

Prom (Graduation) Pointers from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments:

• Get vaccinated now to be able to participate in end-of-the-year school celebrations without having to be tested or miss out because you were exposed to someone who tested positive for Covid-19.
• All proms with over 100 participants (students and chaperones) are required to either be fully vaccinated (2 weeks after single dose Johnson & Johnson or 2 weeks after 2nd dose of Moderna and Pfizer vaccines) or have a valid negative test for Covid-19. If the individual has a PCR test it is good for up to 72 hours. The rapid antigen tests are only good for 6 hours on the day of the event, so timing to get that test is important.
• Limiting contacts with non-vaccinated individuals, proper mask wearing (covering nose & mouth), frequent handwashing, social distancing at least 6 feet from non-household members at least 2 weeks before your prom (or graduation) may protect you from missing this milestone event.
• If you test positive you will not be allowed to attend the event and it will also affect your contacts who are not fully vaccinated to not be able to attend.
• Getting the vaccine with plenty of time to become ‘fully vaccinated’ is the only way to assure you won’t miss these end-of-the-year celebrations.

Graduation Guidance for end-of-academic year celebrations: Click here for the guidance from the State Department of Health.

There are 20 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 reported today in Genesee and Orleans counties, which brings the total to 7,954 in the two counties since the pandemic started in March 2020. There have now been 2,886 people test positive in Orleans and 5,068 in Genesee, the Genesee and Orleans County health Departments said.

In Orleans County there are 13 new positive cases and they are 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 and 80s.

Orleans is reporting 5 of the new positive individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

The county has 11 more of the previous positive individuals recovered and removed from the isolation list.

There are currently 3 Orleans residents hospitalized due to Covid.

Albion Central School is reporting five students have tested positive for Covid, including one at the middle school, one in the high school and three in the elementary school.

The student from the middle school and one of the students from the elementary school were last in school on April 19. Due to the 48-hour look-back period, the Department of Health determined there was no need to quarantine any additional individuals.

The other two elementary students were last in school on April 27. The high school student was last in school on April 28. Those who were deemed to have been in close contact with the student have been contacted by the DOH.

At this time, no cases of Covid-19 have been transmitted through the school, the district said.

Medina Central School is reporting today that two students tested positive for Covid, including one at the high school and one at the elementary school.

In both cases the Department of Health has investigated in cooperation with the school and determined that no further quarantines need to take place.

In Genesee County there are 7 new positive cases reported today and they are in the 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, 40s, 50s and 60s.

Genesee is reporting 15 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

There are currently 9 Genesee residents hospitalized due to Covid.

Pop-up vaccination clinics: If a business or organization is interested in hosting a pop-up vaccination clinic, fill out the form and four-question survey by clicking here.

Vaccine update: Both counties are offering vaccination clinic registration via phone – these numbers are only for Covid vaccination registration. In Orleans, call (585) 589-3170. In Genesee, call (585) 815-7168.

For both numbers ask for the vaccine registration help line. The vaccine registration help line is not associated with either Public Health Department. The individuals who answer the phone can only assist with registering for a Covid-19 clinic, they cannot answer Covid-related questions.

For more information about the vaccine and access for those who are 60 and older who do NOT have internet access, please contact your respective Office for the Aging (OFA).

For the Orleans OFA call 585-589-3191 between 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. and leave a message if you get voicemail.

For Genesee OFA please call 585-813-2457 for Covid-19 Vaccine assistance between 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. and leave a message if you get voicemail.

The OFA offices can only assist with the clinic links as they are available.

Active cases over 200 in two counties

Genesee and Orleans counties combined are reporting 39 new cases of Covid-19, bringing the total to 7,934 in the two counties during the pandemic. That includes 2,873 in Orleans and 5,061 in Genesee, the Genesee and Orleans County health Departments said in a news briefing.

In Orleans County there are 21 new positive cases reported today, and those cases are 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, 8 were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

Orleans is reporting 6 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

There are currently 4 of the current positive individuals are hospitalized.

Genesee County is reporting 18 new positive cases. The new positive cases are 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, 40s, 50s and 60s.

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

Genesee County continues to have IT issues and the hospitalizations will be updated as soon as the issue is fixed, hopefully in the next day, the G-O Health Departments said.

Active cases: The number of active cases is up in both counties since a week ago. Orleans is up from 91 to 97 from April 21, and Genesee increased from 69 to 107. Combined the two counties are over 200 cases, increasing from 160 on April 21 to 204 today.

Midnight curfew ends May 17 for outdoor areas and May 31 for indoor sites

Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that the 12 a.m. food and beverage service curfew will be lifted for outdoor dining areas beginning May 17 and for indoor dining areas beginning May 31.

Governor Cuomo also announced that the 1 a.m. curfew for catered events where attendees have provided proof of vaccination status or a recent negative COVID-19 test result will be lifted beginning May 17, with the curfew for all catered events set to be lifted May 31.

Additionally, the Governor announced that catered events can resume at residences beginning May 3 above the State’s residential gathering limit of 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors, as long as the events are staffed by a professional, licensed caterer, permitted by the respective locality or municipality, and strictly adhere to health and safety guidance, including social and event gathering limits, masks, and social distancing.

Also on May 3, the guidance for dancing among attendees at catered events will be aligned with neighboring states, replacing fixed dance zones for each table with social distancing and masks.

Finally, the Governor announced that starting May 3, seating at bars will be allowed in New York City, consistent with the food services guidance that is in effect statewide.

“Lifting these restrictions for restaurants, bars and catering companies will allow these businesses that have been devastated by the pandemic to begin to recover as we return to a new normal in a post-pandemic world,” Cuomo said. “To be clear: we will only be able to maintain this progress if everyone gets the Covid vaccine. It is the weapon that will win the war and we need everyone to take it, otherwise we risk going backward.”

Ortt: ‘Small businesses can’t afford to wait another day’

UPDATED 12:15 p.m.: State Senate Leader Rob Ortt issued this statement:

“While we are pleased that this long overdue action was finally taken by the Legislature today, there is still much more to be done – including the immediate elimination of the completely arbitrary curfew and capacity restrictions that hurt our bars and restaurants.

“The Governor may have announced that his arbitrary curfew will be lifted in a few weeks, but our small businesses can’t afford to wait another day.

“The Legislature should not only immediately repeal these nonsensical, non-scientific orders – we should also fully repeal the Governor’s emergency powers and restore local control to the officials who are best equipped to make decisions for the residents who elected them, and their local economies.

“New Yorkers are sick and tired of a Governor who transparently bases all of his decision-making on political science, not medical science. In the best interest of all New Yorkers, we must finally re-establish the Legislature as a co-equal branch.”

Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Tuesday that New York State will adopt the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s new guidance on mask use for fully vaccinated people.

The guidelines state that fully vaccinated people, defined as two or more weeks after receiving the second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, no longer need to wear masks outdoors, except in certain crowded settings and venues.

However, masks should still be worn indoors and should still be worn by people who are not fully vaccinated. This guidance reemphasizes the importance of getting vaccinated and closely adhering to public health guidance, particularly if you are not yet vaccinated. Fully vaccinated individuals with immunocompromising conditions should consult with their healthcare provider first.

“The CDC announced new guidance today saying that when Americans who are fully vaccinated are outside, biking, hiking, running, or in small gatherings, you don’t need to wear a mask,” Cuomo said on Tuesday. “That is liberating, especially now that the weather is getting warmer. This news underscores the fact that if you get vaccinated, more freedom is available to you, and I encourage all eligible New Yorkers who have not yet received the vaccine to make an appointment today.”

According to the new CDC guidance, fully vaccinated people can engage in more activities than unvaccinated people, which include:

• Fully vaccinated workers no longer need to be restricted from work following an exposure as long as they are asymptomatic
• Fully vaccinated residents of non-healthcare congregate settings no longer need to quarantine following a known exposure
• Visit with other fully vaccinated people indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
• Visit with unvaccinated people (including children) from a single household who are at low risk for severe Covid-19 disease indoors without wearing masks or physical distancing
• Participate in outdoor activities and recreation without a mask, except in certain crowded settings and venues
• Resume domestic travel and refrain from testing before or after travel or self-quarantine after travel
• Refrain from testing before leaving the United States for international travel (unless required by the destination) and refrain from self-quarantine after arriving back in the United States.
• Refrain from testing following a known exposure, if asymptomatic, with some exceptions for specific settings
• Refrain from quarantine following a known exposure if asymptomatic
• Refrain from routine screening testing if asymptomatic and feasible (in nonhealthcare settings)

Active cases in 2 counties up from 153 to 180 in past 7 days

Orleans and Genesee counties combined are reporting 33 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 today, bringing the total in the two counties to 7,895 since March 2020. That includes 2,852 in Orleans and 5,043 in Genesee.

The number of active cases in the two counties is up from 153 on April 20 to 180 today. In Orleans, the actives cases is down slightly from 83 to 80 in the past seven days, while Genesee is up from 70 to 100.

Orleans County today is reporting 10 new Covid cases, and they 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 and 70s.

Orleans is reporting 21 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

There are currently 2 Orleans County residents hospitalized due to Covid.

In Genesee County there are 23 new positive Covid cases. The new 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 70s.

Genesee has 28 more of the previous positive individuals recovered and removed from the isolation list.

Genesee County continues to have IT issues and the hospitalizations will be updated as soon as the issue is fixed, hopefully in the next day, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments said.

County goes from lowest rate in early April to now tied for 3rd lowest

Orleans County in early April had the lowest vaccination rate among 62 counties in the state. But not any more. Orleans is moving up and is now tied for the third lowest rate.

The state’s Vaccine Tracker on Monday had Orleans and Fulton counties both at 32.8 percent of their populations with at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. That is  ahead of Allegany at 29.9 percent and Tioga at 32.5 percent.

Orleans, despite its improvement in the vaccination rate, is still well behind the statewide vaccination rate (with at least one dose) at 44.3 percent and the nine-county Finger Lakes Region which is at 45.4 percent.

Less than three weeks ago on April 8 Orleans was at the bottom of all counties at 25.6 percent of the residents have had at least one vaccine shot. Bronx County was the next lowest at 25.9 percent, with Fulton at 26.6 percent, Tioga at 26.7 percent and Allegany at 26.8 percent.

Orleans has been holding many mass vaccination clinics to boost the rate, and has been accepting walk-ins at those clinics and has a helpline to help others make appointments.

Here is updated data on the vaccination rates.

Lowest vaccination rates in the state

• Allegany County (46,430 population) – 29.9 percent with at least one dose
• Tioga County (48,560 population) – 32.5 percent with at least one dose
• Orleans (40,612 population) – 32.8 percent with at least one dose
• Fulton County (53,591 population) – 32.8 percent with at least one dose
• Bronx County (1,432,132 population) – 33.1 percent with at least one dose

Nearby counties

• Wyoming County (40,085 population) – 35.4 percent with at least one dose
• Genesee County (57,511 population) – 39.2 percent with at least one dose
• Niagara County (210,433 population) – 42.6 percent with at least one dose
• Erie County (919,719 population) – 47.3 percent with at least one dose
• Monroe County (742,474 population) – 48.1 percent with at least one dose

The Orleans and Genesee County Health Departments wants to work with local businesses to host a pop-up vaccine clinic for employees.

Businesses with 50 or more employees are urged to fill out a 4-question survey (click here) to show their interest in hosting a clinic.

The Health Departments note that all vaccine recipients must complete and pass a screening questionnaire to qualify for a vaccine.

Individuals must be at least 18 years of age to receive Moderna vaccine and 16 years of age to receive Pfizer vaccine. All individuals must be able to commit to a second dose vaccine to receive the first dose – 4 weeks after first dose for Moderna and 3 weeks for Pfizer.

In the survey, the Health Departments ask how many employees would be expected to receive the vaccine at the clinic, and whether the business has a facility where at least 20 people can be socially distanced by at least 6 feet.

Genesee County passes 5,000 Covid cases during pandemic

There are 52 more Covid-19 cases reported in Genesee and Orleans counties in the first update since Friday afternoon from the Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments. The 52 new cases bring the total to 7,862 for the two counties since the pandemic started about 13 months ago.

In Orleans County the 30 new positive cases bring the total to 2,842 during the pandemic. The new cases are 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 80s.

Orleans is reporting that 3 of the new cases were people on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive

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

There are currently three Orleans County residents hospitalized due to Covid.

Of the new cases, 2 are inmates at the Albion Correctional Facility where 52 have now tested positive.

In Genesee County, the 22 new cases push the county past 5,000 for a total of 5,020 during the pandemic. Genesee has 57,280 residents, according to the 2019 Census estimate, and 8.8 percent have now tested positive for Covid since March 2020.

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

Genesee is reporting 1 of the new positive individuals is a resident of the NYS Veteran’s Home, where 88 residents have now tested positive.

Genesee County is having computer issues so there is limited data for Genesee County today. More information about the county’s Covid caseload is expected on Tuesday.