MEDINA – Orleans Community Health has issued a press release to the public in light of the recent steady increase of Covid-19 cases in Orleans Community Hospital.

The information comes from Jessica Capurso, director of Education, Outreach and Marketing at the hospital’s Community Partners.

With the onset of Covid-19, Orleans Community Health went immediately into “ready mode” and braced for the impact this would have on the community. All elective services were mandated to be shut down, walk-in services at Medina Memorial Hospital and the Middleport lab draw station were placed on hold and a multitude of restrictions, processes and procedures were put in place to ensure the safety of residents, staff and community.

For the most part, Orleans County and Orleans Community Health’s Medina Memorial Hospital have managed to remain under the radar and had only experienced a limited amount of cases. The hospital has since been able to resume elective services and added pre-registration for all lab and imaging services.

In addition, Orleans Community Health is providing Covid-19 screening, testing, and most recently began administering Covid-19 vaccinations. Dedicated healthcare workers are taking on extra shifts and filling in for roles they would not normally be working, Capurso said. She added they are so very proud of everything they do for patients and the community members.

If one reviews the daily reports that are received from the Department of Health, they will notice for the past six weeks the number of Covid-19 positive cases has been on a steady rise, resulting in an uptick in the Emergency Room cases that are being received at Medina Memorial Hospital, along with an uptick in the number of those patients being admitted into the hospital.

The hospital is asking the community to please continue to do their part and take every precaution they can to slow the spread of Covid-19. This includes wearing a mask covering the mouth and nose (a cloth mask should be washed after every use).

Do not wear the mask under your chin or store it in your pocket between uses. Clean hands often, either with soap and water for 20 seconds or a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol. Avoid close contact with people who are sick. Put distance between yourself and other people (at least six feet).

“We ask this not only because we want you to remain healthy, but because we do not want to be mandated to shut down elective services again in our community,” Capurso said. “We want to continue providing these services to our community and it takes all of us working together to achieve this goal.”

For more information on the vaccine, click here.

Information on testing is available by calling (585) 589-2273 to make an appointment at the Albion Healthcare Center on Route 31.

Other information on ways to further help the hospital can be obtained by contacting Heather Smith, Orleans Community Health Foundation director at (585) 798-8426.

Those who would like to work with the hospital can click here for more information.

By Doug Farley, Cobblestone Museum, Director

GAINES – Another farm operation in the Hamlet of Childs is attributed to Alphonse Zambito who operated Zambito Produce in 1950s in the gray barn across from the Cobblestone Museum on the south side of Ridge Road.

Al got started in the produce business working for the A&P food chain after WWII as their head produce buyer for 13 states.  The company offices were located to the right of the barn in the photo above.

Here in Childs Al Zambito ran one of the largest sorting facility for cucumbers in the area.  Processing pickles were graded and packed on the ground floor level of the produce company. On the upper floor, fresh market cucumbers were packed with a capacity there up to 5,000 bushels a day.

The plant also packed tomatoes, acorn squash, and cabbage. Al’s son, Michael Zambito, carried the torch forward for many more years, into the last quarter of the 20th century. Mike said, “I remember we brought in loads of red cabbage from Holland and green cabbage from Michigan and Virginia. My dad also brokered onions and beets. We were a very busy place.”

Mike Zambito recalled that his father got started after leaving school in the 6th grade. Al worked to help build the Lipton Plant in Albion and then left for the service. Mike said, “After the war, Dad teamed up with Mike Kodish from NYC who gave him some money to start his packaging plant in Childs. Dad eventually bought out Mike Kodish!”

Mike Metcalf offered his reflections on farming in the Hamlet of Childs, too. He grew up on the east side of Route 98, about one-half mile north of Route 104. Mike’s dad, William, was a Soil Conservation Service Officer. This was a federal position that supervised farm drainage and construction of farm ponds.

As a child, Mike recalls that Lee Harding and John Murray raised sheep on their adjoining farms in the 1950s. Mike said, “Growing up with all the sheep, it was like a giant playground.” He recalls the sheep creating trails that crisscrossed the pastures that he and his brother and two sisters would enjoy running through.

Mike received his farm training, graduating in 1974, from Iowa State University, where he received the “Outstanding Member of the Year Award,” from the University’s Farm Club, and the “Real Guy Award,” the highest honor bestowed by the Iowa State University College of Agriculture. Immediately following college, Mike became involved in Orleans County farming, including animal husbandry and crop farming. Mike’s current farming interests include about 300 acres on Route 279 and has held many leadership positions in Orleans County Farm Bureau.

Mike Metcalf also remembers the fire in 1970 that destroyed Lee Harding’s barn on Route 98. After the fire, Harding sold his property to what would become the large corporate farm, Intergrow, a farm operation that deserves its own story in a later article.

Another historic farm on the west end of the Hamlet of Childs was called Coloney Farms, dating back to the early 1800s.  The progenitor in the Coloney family was George Coloney who purchased the farm from Russell and Betsey Gillett in 1885. George started the farm keeping horses and grew the farm to over 160 acres, primarily on the west side of Childs. George and his wife, Bertha Balcom Coloney, built a 2,700 sq. ft. house on the property in which the extended family still resides today.

George and Bertha Coloney had six children (shown above): Orson, George, Jr., Rosabell, Marian, Marjorie and Eleanor. Eleanor’s son, Gerald Coloney Monagan and his wife, Beverly (Thompson) Monagan, now live in the Coloney family homestead. Jerry explained that the Coloney homestead (shown above) passed out of the family for about 16 years until his purchase of the property returned it to the extended Coloney family line. Jerry professed, “I’m really just a gentleman farmer. Eugene Leigh farmed the back 128 acres. I bought 32 acres and raised about 10 acres of cucumbers.” Jerry’s principal livelihood was employment at Kodak in Rochester.

George Coloney’s sons, Orson and George, Jr., continued the Coloney farming legacy and managed 2,000 acres, primarily in Carlton. They produced tomatoes that they sold to Hunt’s in Albion and also maintained a labor camp for field workers who came up from the southern states in the summer.

Coloney Farms with its active horse stables, needed a plentiful supply of fresh straw for bedding. Here we see an early 1900s straw stack on the farm.

Horses provided the “horsepower” to do many farm chores during the 1800s and early 1900s.  The next generation of horsepower was provided by steam engines.  Here, in this 1950s farm scene, we see an early Case Steam Tractor at work.  This tractor displays the “Old Abe” eagle logo on its front, a Case trademark beginning in 1865.

Tragedy struck Coloney Farm on Friday, November 22, 1935 when the K&B Tea Room, a small structure on the farm, was destroyed in an early morning fire.

Current farm residents Jerry and Bev Monagan always had a problem with standing water near the house, so they decided to dig a pond.  Gerry said, “We went down 14 feet and hit bedrock, but never hit water.”  The 14’ deep pond is just filled with surface water.” The family has used the pond for swimming and has kept Black Labs that have enjoyed the water, too, along with some coy fish and bass that have been stocked.

Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a transformational proposal that continues to expand access to voting and improves procedures as part of the Governor’s 2021 State of the State agenda by speeding up vote counting, and adding additional time for early voting.

“Our election system, on which our democracy is built, has, and continues to be, under attack by those seeking to undermine the founding principles of our nation and we must not only protect it, but ensure it can be accessed by all,” Governor Cuomo said. “While we have already made some progress in modernizing New York’s election system, there is much left to do and this historic package of election reforms will be critical in strengthening how elections are run and ensuring all New Yorkers are able to exercise this fundamental right.”

• Expand Access to Early Voting: Among Governor Cuomo’s most important voting rights and election administration achievements is the 2019 enactment of legislation establishing early voting in New York State. In the general election in 2020 – the first major election following the implementation of New York State’s early voting law – more than 2.5 million New Yorkers, representing nearly one-fifth of all registered voters in the state, chose to cast their ballots during the early voting period. Governor Cuomo will advance legislation that extends early voting hours from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends as well as on a minimum of three week days during the 10-day early voting period.

• No-Excuse Absentee Voting for All New Yorkers: In 2019, Governor Cuomo celebrated the Legislature’s passage of a resolution beginning the process of amending the state constitution to make no-excuse absentee voting a reality in our state. In 2021, the Governor will call on the Legislature to act quickly to pass the resolution again so that the proposed amendment can go on the ballot to be ratified by the voters.

• Allow More Time for Voters to Request Absentee Ballots: The state’s election law currently prohibits voters from requesting their absentee ballots more than 30 days prior to Election Day. Particularly in elections with large numbers of absentee voters, this timeline may make it difficult for county boards of elections to process ballot requests in a timely and efficient manner. This, in turn, provides voters with less time to receive their ballots, vote, and mail them back. Governor Cuomo will advance legislation allowing voters to request absentee ballots 45 days prior to the election, ensuring they can be mailed as soon as the ballot is finalized and approved by the Board.

• Speed Up the Counting of Absentee Ballots: New York State’s election law does not facilitate the speedy counting of large numbers of absentee ballots – the law only requires that boards of elections meet to process and count ballots within two weeks of a general election and within eight days of a primary election. In practice, this means that counties do not finish counting absentee ballots until weeks after Election Day, and in 2020, when large numbers of absentee ballots were cast, New York State was among the slowest states in the country to post the results of its absentee ballots. To ensure that New York State counts absentee votes quickly and efficiently after each election, Governor Cuomo will introduce legislation requiring county boards of elections to process absentee ballots as they are received and to begin counting and reporting those ballots on Election Day.

With the first day of swim practice scheduled for January 18 (pending final approval by the Section VI Executive Council on Tuesday) Niagara-Orleans League athletic directors have set January 28 as the date for the first meets.

The meets this season will be virtual with each team swimming in its own pool with no spectators. Scores will then be compared by computer program to determine the winner of each individual event and the overall team winners.

Albion and Akron had been looking at the possibility of hosting regular meets but have decided to go with virtual meets.

“It’s the right thing to do right now keeping everyone in their own pool,” said Albion Athletic Director Adam Krenning in noting concerns over the recent increase in Covid-19 cases in the area.

The first meets on the 28th will have Albion vs. Barker, Medina vs. Akron and Roy-Hart vs. Newfane.

The league is looking to have mainly a Tuesday-Thursday- Saturday weekly schedule for the remainder of the 10 meet regular season.

There are also tentative plans to try and hold boys and girls All-League meets at the end of the season.

Roy-Hart is the defending boys and girls champion.

There are 100 new reported cases of Covid-19 today in Genesee and Orleans counties, bringing the total to 4,530 in the two counties since March. That’s also 705 cases in the two counties so far in January.

In Orleans County, there are 32 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 today for a total of 1,644 positive cases since March.

The new positive cases reside in the West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby), Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre) and East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon).

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

Of the new cases, 6 of the individuals were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

Orleans also is reporting 48 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list. That reduces the number of active Covid cases in the county from 279 on Thursday, a high in the pandemic, to 263 today.

Orleans has 14 residents hospitalized with Covid.

• Albion Central School reported two students have tested positive for Covid-19. One is a hybrid learner from the high school, and the other is a hybrid learner from the elementary school.

The elementary student was last in school on Jan. 5 and the high school student was last in school yesterday, Jan. 7. The district has notified any anticipated students and staff members who are deemed to have been in close contact with the infected students, in accordance with guidelines issued by the Department of Health, the district stated on the school website.

In Genesee County, there are 68 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 for a total of 2,886 positive cases since March.

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

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.

Of the new cases, 3 are residents at Premier Genesee Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation, 3 are residents at the Batavia VA Medical Center, and 1 is a resident at the New York State Veterans’ Home at Batavia.

Genesee is reporting 66 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list. The number of active cases is down from 238 on Thursday to 222 today.

Genesee has 26 residents hospitalized due to Covid.

Press Release, Assemblyman Mike Norris

LOCKPORT – Assemblyman Mike Norris (R,C -Lockport) has been named chairman of the Assembly Minority Conference, a prestigious leadership position, and reappointed to membership on the powerful Assembly committees on Rules and Ways and Means.

Mike Norris

These appointments make Norris, a third-term lawmaker, highly positioned and among the most influential members of his conference in Albany. Norris’s district includes Shelby in Orleans County, and parts of Niagara and Erie counties.

“I want to congratulate Mike Norris on his new appointment as minority conference chairman for Assembly Republicans,” Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay said. “Mike has been an outstanding representative since coming to Albany and has worked tirelessly on a wide range of issues for the people of the 144th Assembly District. He has shown tremendous leadership during these unprecedented times, and I applaud his tireless work for his constituents and our conference. I’m excited to continue our work together as he takes on this deserving leadership position.”

Norris said, “I would like to thank Leader Barclay for this opportunity and his faith in me to help lead our conference. I would also like to thank the people of Erie, Niagara and Ontario counties for continuing to put their trust in me as their voice in state government. Working together, our voice will only continue to get stronger, and I will keep fighting for Western New York.”

Toward that goal, Norris requested to keep his leadership position as ranking member on the Assembly Election Law Committee to help oversee and improve our state’s election process.

He will also be continuing to help oversee the legislative process as a member of the Rules Committee, and the budget process on the Ways and Means Committee. In addition, Norris will be a member of the Assembly Judiciary Committee and the Committee on Transportation.

“These are all important roles. We need better roads and infrastructure, and I’ll be fighting hard for that, especially during the budget,” Norris said. “But on top of my legislative work, me and my staff are also here to help constituents directly, and I would like to take this opportunity to remind the public of that. As the pandemic continues, I know many are still struggling with unemployment or the uncertainty their business faces. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for help with these state issues. We are here to help and here for you.”

Assemblyman Norris can be reached at norrism@nyassembly.gov or by calling his office at (716) 839-4691.

There are three food distributions set for the final three Friday mornings in January. About 300 boxes of food will be given away at the events.

The start times are approximately 8:30 a.m. (If the Foodlink truck is there and unloaded, the event may start sooner.) Organizers are asking people not to line up before 8 a.m. due to possible winter weather conditions.

“We remind people not to block driveways,” said Melissa Blanar, director of the Orleans County office for the Aging, who helps organize the events. “We want to thank all the volunteers, without them there would be no events. Please be patient and kind.”

The schedule includes:

• January 15^th, Community Action Store, 113 South Main Street, Albion
• January 22^nd, Orleans County Cornell Cooperative Extension, 4-H Fairgrounds, 12690 NYS Route 31, Knowlesville, entrance is on Taylor Hill Road and not on Route 31. The line on Taylor Hill will need to go south away from Route 31.
• January 29^th, Community Action Store, 113 South Main Street, Albion

Positivity rate at 6.7 percent for asymptomatic people at testing clinics

Photos by Tom Rivers: Jack Welch, Orleans County chief administrative officer, assisted at the rapid test clinic on Wednesday at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds. He is shown in a driver’s side mirror of a car in line. 

Orleans County has hosted four rapid Covid-19 test clinics, with the first on Dec. 16. There have been 2,035 tests administered in the four clinics, and 136 have come back positive for a positivity rate of 6.7 percent.

The county’s public health director expects the clinics, which are free to those being tested, to continue weekly through at least the end of January.

The clinics are targeted for asymptomatic people who may have had a close contact with someone Covid positive or may need a Covid test for their job, a medical appointment or to visit a loved one in a nursing home.

“Please note if you have recently tested positive, please do not come and get tested again at these clinics,” the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments advises. “These clinics are to identify new cases, not to determine if you are now negative.”

Here are results from the first four clinics:

• Dec. 16: 12 positive out of 420 tests, 2.9 percent positive

• Dec. 21: 22 positive out of 546 tests, 4.0 percent positive

• Dec. 28: 54 positive out of 532 tests, 10.2 percent positive

• Jan. 6: 48 positive out of 537 tests, 8.9 percent positive

Orleans County will next host a clinic on Wednesday, Jan. 13, from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Orleans County 4-H Fairgrounds. Click here to register on the state Department of Health website.

Genesee County will host rapid test clinics next Tuesday and Thursday from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Genesee County Emergency Management/Fire Training Center at 7690 State Street Rd., Batavia. Click here for registration information from the state.

Those getting tested also need to complete an intake form from the G-O Health Departments. Click here for more information.

Mike Beach of Albion greets people at the rapid test clinic, making sure they have an appointment and an intake form completed. Drivers enter the fairgrounds from the west end on Taylor Hill Road.

Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming have 718 residents currently Covid-positive

This graph is from the health departments in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties. The graph for Genesee shows a high of 343 on Dec. 19, but health department officials say that should instead say 247.

The three rural counties of Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming combined have 718 active Covid-19 cases today, the most during the pandemic.

Orleans, with 279 active cases, leads the three counties. Genesee is at 238 and Wyoming is at 201.

A week ago on Dec. 31 the three counties were at 475 active cases with 202 in Orleans, 169 in Genesee and 104 in Wyoming.

An active case is someone who has tested positive but hasn’t been cleared from mandatory isolation. If people test positive for Covid, they must be in mandatory isolation for at least 10 days, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments said.

They are cleared after they have been fever free the last 3 days with symptom improvement. Sadly, if people die after contracting Covid, that also is no longer an active case.

The cases have continued a surge that started in November, increased in December and has continued in January.

Genesee’s current active caseload of 238 is actually down from the high of 269 on Dec. 7. But Orleans and Wyoming are both at record highs of active cases during the pandemic.

Orleans reached 200 active cases for the first time on Dec. 31 with 202. It was at 241 on Tuesday, then 232 on Wednesday before jumping up to 279 today.

Wyoming County has nearly doubled in active cases in the past week, going from 104 on Dec. 31 to 201 today. Wyoming was at 160 on Tuesday, 171 on Wednesday and then went over 200 for the first time today.

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Valerie O’Hara (right), president of Pike Stained Glass, and Chris Grooms set a repaired stained glass window into place at the Holley Presbyterian Church today.

Pike Stained Glass Studios of Rochester was hired to repair two sections of the “Come Unto Me” window, a centerpiece of the church.

The window is believed to have been installed in 1907 when the sanctuary was built. The window is dedicated in memory of George and Sarah Garfield, who were residents of Holley in the late 19th century. The picture of Jesus is based on the “Come Unto Me” painting by Heinrich Hoffman.

Valerie O’Hara sets the window in place. Pike Stained Glass Studios needed to replace broken pieces of the two windows and create a new frame with rebar. The two windows had bulged and there were broken sections of glass.

Pike made new pieces of glass that needed to be painted and reset. The company put in new lead to hold the glass pieces together and created a new frame. Pike also cleaned the larger window depicting Jesus.

The church in 2019 celebrated its 200^th anniversary in Holley. Tom Gardner, the church pastor, said the congregation values the stained glass window. It was about a $25,000 project.

“We looked very close at it and we could see it had problems,” Gardner said about the window. “The congregation wanted it to be right and be here for future generations.”

The church this year also expects to complete a $40,000 project on part of the roof.

Photos by Tom Rivers

HOLLEY – Don Welch, a member of the Holley Presbyterian Church, was among the volunteers out this morning, putting away the cutouts of a Nativity scene that were in front of the church on Route 31.

Fred Roeck, left, and Glenn Maxon detach the cutouts from stakes that held them up. The cutouts were then put in the basement and will be out again for the Christmas season in 2021.

Ron Meiers was among the volunteers who took care of the task this morning.

Group wanted Congress to investigate election

Provided photos: A Lyndonville man took this photo and the one below of the protest in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. He said the overwhelmingly majority of the people were peaceful.

A Lyndonville man was among the tens of thousands of people who gathered in Washington, D.C. to support President Trump on Wednesday.

The Lyndonville man, who didn’t want his name made public, listened to the president address the crowd and then walked down Pennsylvania Avenue to the U.S. Capitol. He said he helped remove a barricade but did not go inside the Capitol.

He said the group expected it would get to the Capitol and would be greeted by U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, who would vow to press Congress to investigate the election results.

The protestors made it to the Capitol at about 1 p.m., when the Senate and House were each in their chambers discussing the certification of the electoral results. They would have to evacuate after protestors breached security and entered the building, some through broken windows.

“The Trump supporters are normally all good,” said the Lyndonville man, 55. “We were looking for a positive response from Congress.”

The Lyndonville man said police sprayed mace at the protestors, which surprised many in the group. He saw protestors up on a balcony throw chunks of wood at police, which disgusted him. He believes outside agitators infiltrated the group.

“The news coverage has painted us to be lawless and anarchist,” the man said. “I support law enforcement.”

The man said the group was guilty of being disorganized. He said they should have had a spokesman to relay their concerns that there were irregularities with the election that needed more investigation.

“We showed up and we were frustrated and angry,” the man said. “It wasn’t a planned attack. We just wanted assurance that it would be investigated.”

The man said he joined the march to the Capitol wanting to show support for local Congressman Chris Jacobs, so he would vote to not certify the electoral votes. Jacobs was among the Republicans who didn’t vote to certify the results.

“We thought they would acknowledge us, that it was a fraudulent election and they would investigate this,” the Lyndonville man said about their presence at the Capitol. “But we were met with gas and fire extinguishers.”

The man believes he was the only one from Orleans County at the protest in DC. He rode a bus with a group he connected with through social media. The man said he has attended several protests about Constitutional rights.

“I talked with a hundred people throughout the day and none talked violence or had guns,” the man said. “ The majority that was there was just trying to make their voices heard. It was just a small group that was violent.”

Steven Sund, Chief of the U.S. Capitol Police, said 50 police officers were injured from the “riotous actions” of the group, with several officers hospitalized with serious injuries.

“The violent attack on the U.S. Capitol Police was unlike any I have ever experienced in my 30 years in law enforcement here in Washington, D.C.,” Chief Sund said in a news release today. “Maintaining public safety in an open environment – specifically for First Amendment activities – has long been a challenge. The USCP had a robust plan established to address anticipated First Amendment activities. But make no mistake – these mass riots were not First Amendment activities; they were criminal riotous behavior.”

Active cases top 500 in 2 rural counties

There are 137 new confirmed Covid-19 cases to report today in Genesee and Orleans counties, the local health departments reported. There are 517 active cases in the two counties, with 279 in Orleans and 238 in Genesee.

In Orleans County, there are 78 new positive cases of Covid for a total of 1,612 positive cases since March.

The new positive cases reside in the West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby), Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre) and East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon).

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

Of the new cases, 3 were on mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive.

Of the new cases, one is a resident of the Villages of Orleans Health and Rehabilitation Center in Albion and one is a resident of Orchard Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Medina.

Orleans County hosted a rapid Covid test clinic on Wednesday at the 4-H Fairgrounds in Knowlesville. Of the 537 who were tested, 48 were positive and 46 of those were Orleans residents.

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

There are 14 Orleans County residents hospitalized due to Covid.

The Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments also removed one person from yesterday’s total due to the person not being a resident of Orleans County.

• Lyndonville Central School reported a staff member who was present at the district today has tested positive. That staff member has immediately begun isolation at home.

Contact tracing was completed in collaboration with the Orleans County Health Department.    As a result, no staff or students are deemed close contacts. Therefore, there are no staff or student quarantines related to this individual case, District Superintendent Jason Smith said in a letter on the district website.

A Lyndonville student has also tested positive for Covid. The student was last present on district property on Thursday. Contact tracing was completed in collaboration with the Orleans County Health Department, resulting in the quarantine of a several students. These families have been contacted by school staff, and the Health Department will also follow up, Smith said.

• Medina Central School is reporting today that a student and a staff member in the high school have tested positive for Covid-19. They were both on precautionary quarantine. The Health Department has determined that no further quarantines are required from school contact other than those that have already been notified, said Mark Kruzynski, the district superintendent.

An elementary student also has tested positive and the district is in process of notifying the families of anyone who may have come into close contact with the student.

“Out of an abundance of caution, this student’s classroom with switch to 100 percent virtue during the quarantine period,” Kruzynski said in a letter today posted on the district website.

In Genesee County, there are 59 new positive cases of Covid-19 reported today for a total of 2,818 cases since March.

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

The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.

Of the new cases reported today, 3 are residents at Premier Genesee Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation in Batavia, 1 is a resident at the Batavia VA Medical Center, and 1 is a resident at the New York State Veterans’ Home at Batavia.

Genesee is reporting 39 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.

Genesee has 26 residents hospitalized with a Covid-related illness.

Press Release, Finger Lakes Covid-19 Vaccine Task Force

ROCHESTER – Nearly 60 regional leaders will gather virtually at 4 p.m. today to ensure equity, transparency, and efficiency in COVID-19 immunization efforts, with a goal of vaccinating at least 70% of adult residents of the Finger Lakes Region.

The Finger Lakes Covid-19 Vaccine Task Force was convened by Monroe County Executive Adam Bello and Monroe County Public Health Commissioner Dr. Michael Mendoza, and will be chaired by Dr. Nancy Bennett, the lead for the Finger Lakes COVID-19 Hub at the University of Rochester Medical Center, and Wade Norwood, CEO of Common Ground Health. Paul Pettit, public health director in Orleans and Genesee counties, is a member of the group.

While Covid-19 has presented an unprecedented challenge nationally and locally, the Vaccine Task Force allows the region to harness the reach and talents of organizations throughout the nine Finger Lakes counties of Genesee, Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Orleans, Seneca, Wayne, Wyoming, and Yates.

“The Finger Lakes Covid-19 Vaccine Task Force will play an important role in helping to answer questions and serve as a point of contact for residents across our region as we continue through the early stages of the Covid-19 vaccination process. We understand there are going to be questions, but we want to ensure everyone has accurate answers to make an informed decision about getting the vaccine,” said Bello. “The task force will be made up of members who represent the diversity of our region – from urban, suburban and rural communities, business leaders, medical professionals, community members and everything in between.”

The advisory group includes representatives from Rochester Regional Health, the University of Rochester Medical Center, safety net practices, the City of Rochester and other municipal and county governments, non-profits, residents, business, labor, education and more. The task force will advise the Finger Lakes Regional Hub, the state-designated organization for coordinating the supply, distribution and delivery of Covid-19 vaccines across the region.

It will also oversee strategies and tactics for guaranteeing that every adult in our region has the information and access they need to make an informed choice about vaccination.

“We have learned that if we don’t want to leave any populations behind, we have to make sure that historically marginalized groups have a seat at the table where decisions are made,” said Wade S. Norwood, task force co-chair.

“Different groups need different approaches, from religious communities both rural and urban to migrant workers in farming communities, to Black folks in city neighborhoods,” said Norwood. “By representing the true diversity of our region, the task force will help us build a foundation of trust and transparency among communities and organizations.”

Nancy “Nana” Bennett, MD, task force co-chair said: “I am honored to help lead our region’s efforts to deliver Covid-19 vaccine to each and every member of our community safely, quickly and fairly. The task is huge, but our community has proven time and time again that we can come together for the good of all.  The Task Force will guide us at every step of the process, and ensure that vaccine administration in our region is equitable, transparent, and efficient.”

Task Force Member Jerome Underwood, president and CEO of Action for a Better Community said: “The task force will allow us to quickly disseminate accurate information about the vaccines to people who rely on agencies like ABC for critical information. As a trusted messenger, we have an obligation to educate the individuals we serve—individuals who are often economically, socially or emotionally marginalized. We will use our deep community connections to help residents make informed decisions for themselves and their families.”