There are seven new confirmed Covid-19 cases in Orleans County, with seven in Albion, the Orleans and Genesee County Public Health Departments is reporting this afternoon.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases in Orleans County to 56. The county reported its first case on March 19.

Of the seven new cases, one person is in the 50s, one in the 60s, two in the 70s, two in the 80s, and in the 90 and above category.

The Health Department is reporting one more person has recovered from the virus, bringing the total recoveries to 16. Five people from the county are currently hospitalized with Covid-19.

Genesee County has five new confirmed cases of Covid-19, bringing the county’s total to 127 positive cases.

Of the new cases, two people live in Batavia, two in Elba and one in LeRoy. One person with Covid-19 is in the 20s, one is in the 30s, one in the 40s, one in the 50s, and one is in the 60s.

Genesee County also has three more recoveries from Covid-19, bringing that total to 53. Three of the current active cases involve people who are hospitalized.

Additional information from the Health Departments:

Federal Detention Facility Cases

• Regarding the sharp increase in the Genesee County positive individuals, they are not considered community-spread as they are all detainees at the Buffalo Federal Detention Facility located in Batavia.  Although the detainees are not considered residents, because the facility is housed in Genesee County, they are reported as Genesee County positive cases. Any workers with direct contact with those who have tested positive at the facility for COVID-19 will be followed by their county of residence.

Contact Tracing

• Contact tracing has been initiated for all new cases. Known contacts have already been placed under mandatory quarantine and will be swabbed if symptoms become present.

• If a person is identified as a contact, they will be notified by the County Health Department, quarantined and if warranted, swabbed if symptoms appear.  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.

Testing

• Due to the current limited swabbing kits, there continue to be guidelines in place for primary care providers to order Covid-19 swabbing.  This is based upon screening for high risk categories.  Contact your primary care provider first to discuss symptoms and the ability to be swabbed.

• For information about the community testing, click here, or call the NYS Covid-19 Hotline at 1-888-364-3065 for more information. All individuals will be screened and must have an appointment.  The local health departments do not have a supply of swabs for the community, call your primary care provider or the community hotline.

If you are experiencing any Covid-19 related symptoms, stay home!  Do not go to work, do not go to the store, do not go anywhere, You are spreading the virus. Stay home!

Click here to view the Genesee and Orleans County online map of confirmed cases.

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Photo by Tom Rivers: The American flag is lowered outside the Murray Town Hall on Wednesday out of respect for people who have died from the Covid-19. Gov. Andrew Cuomo has directed flags to be at half-staff for Covid-19 victims while the state is on Pause, which continues to at least May 15. The state today reported 540 deaths from Covid-19 on Friday, bringing the state total to 13,362. The death toll has been decreasing in recent days, down from 630 on April 16, and 606 on April 15.

Orleans County has suffered its second death from Covid-19, the Public Health Department is reporting this afternoon.

“We are also saddened to report a second death related to Covid-19 has occurred in Orleans County,” said Lynne Johnson, Orleans County Legislature chairwoman. “Our sincerest condolences go out to the family and friends of this individual. Our prayers are with the grieving family. These are our neighbors who are passing away.”

The first death in the county from Covid-19 was reported on Thursday.

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments this afternoon reported there are five new confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Orleans County. That brings the county’s total cases to 48.

Genesee County has 30 new cases, bringing its total to 122. Of the total new positive cases for Genesee County, 29 are non-community spread cases at the Batavia ICE Facility. The individuals are detainees and all precautions are being followed to further protect other detainees and staff, the Health Department said in a news release.

Contact tracing has been initiated and all who have had direct contact with the individuals will be notified by Health Department staff.

There is currently no further information to release on ages and location. Mapping to include the positive cases from the weekend will be updated on Monday afternoon, the Health Department said.

“We encourage everyone to continue social distancing and staying home,” the Health Department stated. “If you need to go out, for essential needs, only one person should be running those errands so as not to risk further exposure. Face coverings are also to be worn when out in public. This is not a time for gatherings, play dates or date night. The life you save may be you or a loved one.”

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Oak Orchard Health has been approved for $870,575 in federal funding through the CARES Act, Congressman Joe Morelle of Rochester announced on Friday.

These funds were awarded through the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and made available through the CARES Act recently passed by Congress which allocated $1.3 billion to support these healthcare providers.

Oak Orchard Health has healthcare centers in Albion, Lyndonville, Brockport, Warsaw and Hornell, as well as a mobile dental unit.

“We were so grateful to see this funding come through when we needed it most,” said Mary Ann Pettibon, CEO of Oak Orchard Health. “Our patients rely on us to provide the health care that they deserve, and this funding allowed us to take care of our patients while keeping our healthcare workers employed during this crucial time. We not only serve a vulnerable population of uninsured and underinsured, but we work with the migrant farmworker population to educate them on the use of personal protective equipment (face masks and gloves), and educate them on how to prevent the spread of coronavirus.”

Morelle also announced funding for other community health centers in the Rochester area, including Mosaic Health, $2,382,830; Anthony L. Jordan Health Corporation, $952,970; and Regional Health Reach, Inc., $503,000.

“Our community health centers are on the front lines of the fight against COVID-19, and our entire nation is grateful for their dedication and patriotism under extraordinarily difficult circumstances,” Morelle said. “We have an obligation to ensure they have the resources they need to treat COVID-19 and keep families in our community safe. That’s why Congress took immediate action to allocate this funding, which will go a long way towards helping our local health systems respond to this unprecedented crisis.”

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7 new positives in Albion and 1 in Ridgeway, Health Department reports

The charts are made available by the Public Health Departments in Orleans and Genesee counties.

Orleans County has eight new confirmed cases of Covid-19 today, the biggest one-day increase for the county since the Covid-19 pandemic began, the public health department reported.

Orleans County now has 43 confirmed cases. Of the eight new cases today, seven are in Albion and one is in Ridgeway.

The age groups for the new cases include one individual in the 50s, 2 in the 60s, 2 in 70s and 3 in the 80s.

Orleans also had one person officially recover from Covid-19, bringing that number to 15. Of the current active cases, four people are hospitalized, said Paul Pettit, public health director for the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.

The town by town breakdown of the cases in Orleans County includes: Albion, 20; Carlton and Ridgeway, 4; Barre, Shelby and Kendall, 3; Murray, Gaines and Yates, 2; and Clarendon, 0.

Genesee County has 5 new positive cases of Covid-19, bringing Genesee’s total to 92 positive cases. Of those, 45 people have recovered.

The new cases include one person in the 20s, one in the 30s, one in the 50s, one in the 60s and one in the 90s.

In Genesee, three of the active cases include people who are currently hospitalized.

Pettit said he is encouraged that the number of active cases seems to be plateauing, but he said it is difficult to fully understand the scope of the virus’s impact in the two counties because there isn’t widespread testing available yet.

There has been more testing recently and he is encouraged that the test results are coming back sometimes the same day or the next day. Those results were taking more than a week, Pettit said.

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Charts are provided by the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.

Orleans County has one new case of Covid-19, a person in the 80s who lives in Albion, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments reported this afternoon.

That brings the total cases in Orleans County to 35. Health officials also are reporting that two more people have recovered from Covid-19 in Orleans, bringing the total recoveries to 14.

The Health Department earlier today reported the county’s first death from Covid-19.

Of the total cases in the county, three people are hospitalized.

Orleans County’s neighbor, Genesee County, has seven new positives bringing the total cases to 87.

Of the seven new cases, five live in Batavia, one in Bergen and one in Darien. The ages of people who tested positive include one in the 20s, three in the 30s, one in the 60s and two in the 90s.

Three of the new cases include people  who were in quarantine prior to becoming symptomatic. Three of the total active positive cases are hospitalized.

State-wide, 8,505 new cases of novel coronavirus were reported today, bringing the total to 222,284 confirmed cases in New York State. At nearby Niagara County, there are 12 more cases for 216; Monroe County, 48 more for 932 total; and Erie County reported 99 more cases for 1,850 total.

To see a map and more data about cases and Orleans and Genesee, as well as Wyoming County, click here.

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Provided photo: Niagara Career and Technical Education Center Assistant Principal Rob Robinson with the boxed up donations from the center.

Press Release, Orleans-Niagara BOCES

MEDINA – The Orleans/Niagara BOCES is helping healthcare workers and facilities as they fight against COVID-19. District Superintendent Dr. Clark Godshall asked the Orleans and Niagara Career and Technical Education Centers to gather up any PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) supplies that can be used by healthcare personnel to protect themselves.

The centers were able to donate 500 pairs of safety glasses to the Niagara County Emergency Medical Services. To the Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, Eastern Niagara Hospital, Elderwood, Northgate, Medina Memorial Hospital and Absolute Care they were able to donate vinyl/nitrate/sterile gloves, alcohol wipes, surgical masks, Clorox wipes, Clorox bleach germicidal wipes, Medco gowns, Purell and Dial hand sanitizer, shroud kits, WetOnes, Dial hand soap and shoe covers.

The healthcare providers were chosen because of their partnership with Orleans/Niagara BOCES and were a way to thank them for allowing them to bring their Health Occupations Technician and LPN students to their facilities for the clinical portion of their classes.

Niagara Career and Technical Education Center Assistant Principal Rob Robinson and Orleans Career and Technical Education Center Assistant Principal Nicole Goyette personally organized the donations.

“I think I speak for everyone that it feels good to help out our medical professionals who are risking their health on a daily basis to help people recover from this pandemic,” Robinson said.

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These charts are compiled by the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.

Orleans and Genesee counties both have three new cases of Covid-19, the Health Department for the two counties reported this afternoon.

The three new cases brings Orleans County’s total cases to 34. The Health Department also is reporting two more people have recovered from the virus, bringing the number of recoveries to 12. Three of the current active cases are people who are hospitalized.

Of the new positive cases today, one lives in Ridgeway, one lives in Gaines, and 1 resides in Murray. The ages include one person in the 40s, one in the 70s and one in the 90s.

In Orleans, two have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation.

In Genesee County, the three new positives bring the county’s total cases to 80. The three new positives are people who all live in Batavia. One is in the 20s, another in the 40s and the other in the 90s.

The positive individuals were not on quarantine prior to becoming symptomatic, the Health Department sated.

Two of the current active cases include people who are hospitalized. Genesee County has had 37 people recover from Covid-19, while two people have died after being infected with the virus.

Updates from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments:

• Due to the current limited swabbing kits, there continue to be guidelines in place for primary care providers to order Covid-19 swabbing. This is based upon screening for high risk categories.  Contact your primary care provider first to discuss symptoms and ability to be swabbed.

• Contact tracing has been initiated for all new cases. Known contacts have already been placed under mandatory quarantine and will be swabbed if indicated (if symptoms become present).

• If a person is 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-19 related symptoms STAY HOME! Do not go to work, do not go to the store, do not go anywhere, YOU are spreading the virus. STAY HOME!

Operational Updates:

• Because COVID-19 is circulating locally, we can’t stress enough how important social distancing is and that EVERYONE needs to take this seriously and stay home! It is your social and civic responsibility to protect yourselves and others.

• If you must shop for essentials, such as food, necessary household supplies or prescriptions, shop solo! Wear a face covering and wash or sanitize your hands frequently.

• Using cloth face coverings are recommended to protect others from you. Remember to wear one when you are out in public. You will need to be careful removing them from your face so as not to be exposed to any germs from the outside. Once removed, make sure you wash them in hot water, if able, and dry in a hot dryer. Wash your hands immediately after removing the mask. For more information about masks go to reliable sights such as the CDC (click here).

Mental Health

• Everyone reacts differently to stressful situations and having to socially distance yourself from someone you love can be difficult. Below are resources that can help you connect to a professional that can help you through these challenging times:

• Care + Crisis Helpline is available 24/7 at 585-283-5200 or text  ‘Talk’ to 741741

• New Yorkers can call the Covid-19 Emotional Support Hotline at 1-844-863-9314 for mental health counseling

• Head Space:  A mindfulness app called Headspace is offering some meditations to listen to for free to ease minds in such a stressful time. The app is free to download and includes meditations, sleep, and movement exercises to help with the varying emotions you may be feeling. The app does include in-app purchases (click here for more information).

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In Niagara County, 31-year-old man with no underlying health conditions dies from the virus

Photo by Tom Rivers: The flags are lowered at Mount Albion Cemetery for the victims of Covid-19. The governor has directed flags to be lowered until at least April 29.

The Health Departments for Genesee and Niagara counties today are both reporting deaths from Covid-19.

Genesee County had a person over age 65 die from Covid-19. That person who lived in the central part of the county is the second one to die in Genesee from Covid-19.

“It is with great sadness that I am reporting the second confirmed death related to COVID-19 in Genesee County,” stated Paul Pettit, Public Health Director of Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments. “Due to privacy issues, I will not be releasing further information about this individual. Our deepest condolences go out to the family and friends of the patient.”

The Genesee County Health Department is conducting contact tracing. Close contacts have been notified of their potential exposure to COVID- 19, and have been placed under mandatory quarantine to monitor for symptoms. Individuals under mandatory quarantine who develop symptoms will be swabbed. The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments are following guidance provided by the NYSDOH and CDC.

“As COVID-19 continues to spread within our communities, we must do everything we can to keep each other safe” said Pettit. “Please remain home unless you are an essential worker or need to purchase essential household items. In that case, designate one (1) household member to do the shopping. We must work together as a community to stop the spread.”

In Niagara County, the Health Department is confirming four more deaths from Covid-19, bringing the county’s total to nine. (Orleans County hasn’t suffered a death from the virus.)

New York State reported 752 more deaths on Tuesday, bringing the state’s total to 11,586.

Niagara County says the four deaths reported today are a 92-year-old woman with underlying health conditions, an 80-year-old man with underlying health conditions, a 92-year-old man with underlying health conditions, and a 31-year-old man with no underlying health conditions.

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These charts are compiled by the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.

The Orleans and Genesee County Health Departments today is reporting two new cases of Covid-19 in Orleans, including the first case in the county for a person under age 20.

Orleans County now has 31 total cases. Of the new positive cases today, one lives in Albion and other resides in Barre.

One is under age 20 and the other is in the 80s. The Health Department also reports that three more people have recovered from Covid-19 and been released from mandatory isolation. That brings the county’s total recoveries to 10.

Three people who have tested positive for Covid-19 are currently hospitalized.

Genesee County has one new positive case of Covid-19 for 77 total cases. The new case involves a person from Batavia in the 30s. The positive individual was not on quarantine prior to becoming symptomatic.

Situational Updates from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments:

• Today we are adding Wyoming County mapping (click here to see three-county map showing Covid-19 cases and data). Genesee and Orleans County will not be making any statement related to Wyoming County. Please contact the Wyoming County Health Department for any inquiries.

• Due to the current limited swabbing kits, there continue to be guidelines in place for primary care providers to order COVID-19 swabbing. This is based upon screening for high risk categories. Contact your primary care provider first to discuss symptoms and ability to be swabbed.

• Contact tracing has been initiated for all new cases. Known contacts have already been placed under mandatory quarantine and will be swabbed if indicated (if symptoms become present).

• If a person is 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-19 related symptoms STAY HOME! Do not go to work, do not go to the store, do not go anywhere, YOU are spreading the virus. STAY HOME!

Operational Updates

• State of Emergency To Be Extended: Due to the Governor’s Executive Order on April 12, extending the Disaster Emergency through May 12, both counties are extending the State of Emergency for the same time period.

• Because COVID-19 is circulating locally, we can’t stress enough how important social distancing is and that EVERYONE needs to take this seriously and stay home! It is your social and civic responsibility to protect yourselves and others.

• If you must shop for essentials, such as food, necessary household supplies or prescriptions, shop solo! Wear a face covering and wash or sanitize your hands frequently.

• Using cloth face coverings are recommended to protect others from you.  Remember to wear one when you are out in public.  You will need to be careful removing them from your face so as not to be exposed to any germs from the outside.  Once removed, make sure you wash them in hot water, if able, and dry in a hot dryer.  Wash your hands immediately after removing the mask.  For more information about masks go to reliable sights such as the CDC (click here).

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Orleans has 1 more confirmed Covid-19 case today, for 29 total

This chart from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments breaks down the number of people who have tested positive and negative for Covid-19 in the two counties, and also says how many people are in quarantine, and how many people have recovered from the virus. One person has died in Genesee County from Covid-19.

ALBION – The local Health Department has released a town-by-town breakdown of the Covid-19 cases in Orleans County.

In Orleans, the Town of Albion has the most confirmed cases with 11 while Clarendon is the only town without a confirmed case.

The town-by-town breakdown of the confirmed cases includes:

• Albion – 11

• Carlton – 4

• Kendall – 3

• Shelby – 3

• Yates – 2

• Ridgeway – 2

• Barre – 2

• Gaines – 1

• Murray – 1

• Clarendon – 0

(Click here to see the map, which includes a similar breakdown in Genesee County.)

The Health Department also announced today that the county has one new confirmed case of Covid-19, bringing the total in Orleans to 29.

Of the five new cases since the weekend, the county has 2 from Lyndonville (Yates), 1 from Murray, 1 from Albion and 1 from Ridgeway.

The ages include one person in the 30s, two in the 50s, one in the 60s, and one in the 70s.

One more person has recovered and has been released from mandatory isolation.

None of the positive individuals were on quarantine prior to becoming symptomatic, according to the Genesee and Orleans Health Departments.

Genesee County has two new confirmed cases for 76 total. Both people who tested positive live in Batavia, where there are 50 of the county’s 76 cases.

This chart from the Health Departments shows a breakdown of ages for people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in the two counties.

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Orleans County has two more confirmed cases of Covid-19 while Genesee County has one more confirmed case, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments reported today at about 5:30 p.m.

The two new cases brings Orleans County’s total confirmed cases to 28, while Genesee County is up to 75 cases.

Health Department staff have started contact tracing, putting known contacts in quarantine for two weeks. Those people will be swabbed and tested for Covid-19 if they show symptoms.

There is currently no further information to release on ages and location, the Health Departments said in a news release.

Mapping to include the positive cases from the weekend will be updated on Monday afternoon.

“We encourage everyone to continue social distancing and staying home,” the departments said in a statement. “If you need to go out, for essential needs, only one person should be running those errands so as not to risk further exposure. This is not a time for gatherings or play dates or date night. The life you save may be you or a loved one. We can do this together…we are one day closer to this being a memory.”

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There are 2 more confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Orleans County, bringing the county’s total cases to 26, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments is reporting this afternoon.

Genesee County has four more cases, for 74 total.

Contact tracing has been initiated with the Health Department advising known contacts of the people who tested positive for Covid-19 they need to be quarantine for the next two weeks. If those people develop symptoms of Covid-19 they will be swabbed and tested for the virus.

The Health Department doesn’t have additional information to be release publicly on ages and location of the new cases. Mapping to include the positive cases from the weekend will be updated on Monday afternoon, the Health Departments said.

“We encourage everyone to continue social distancing and stay home,” the Health Departments said in a statement. “If you need to go out, for essential needs, only one person should be running those errands so as not to risk further exposure. This is not a time for gatherings or date night. The life you save may be you or a loved one. We can do this together…we are one day closer to this being a memory.”

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Orleans County doesn’t have any new confirmed cases of Covid-19 today after seeing the number of positives quadruple in a week.

Orleans County on Thursday was up to 24 confirmed cases. A week before that, the county had six cases.

Paul Pettit, the public health director for Genesee and Orleans counties, reported today that there aren’t any new confirmed cases in Orleans and one person who tested positive for the virus has recovered.

Genesee County reported seven new cases and now has 70, Pettit said, with six of the new cases in central Genesee and one in the western part of the county.

Pettit said next week the Health Department will start releasing a town by town breakdown of the cases in the two counties, which now number 94 combined. Currently the Health Department reports if the person who tested positive lives in either the eastern, central or western part of Orleans or Genesee.

The new cases in Genesee include two people in their 20s, one in the 30s, one in the 60s and three in their 70s.

Pettit said he expects the numbers will continue to steadily rise in the two counties the next two to three weeks, and that could continue in an upward trajectory. A lot of the success in fighting the spread of Covid-19 depends on the community’s adherence to social distancing, washing their hands frequently and staying home as much as possible.

Sunday is Easter and Pettit said that holiday tends to be a big day for social and community gatherings. He urges everyone to keep the gatherings small with no more than 10 people, including among families.

“I want to thank all the members of our community that are really buckling down and adhering to social distancing,” Pettit said during an afternoon news briefing. “I want to thank those folks that are taking it seriously.”

However, the Health Department in the two counties gets many reports of people gathering in large numbers.

“What you do impacts all of us,” Pettit said. “In order to get through this we need to adhere to the guidelines.”

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