Public health director worries about rising numbers of severe Covid cases

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 December 2020 at 9:58 am

ALBION – The public health director in Genesee and Orleans counties said he is concerned by the increasing number of being hospitalized with Covid-19.

Paul Pettit

That is the reality in the two counties, statewide and nationally, said Paul Pettit, public health director for the two counties.

Genesee currently has 12 people hospitalized due to Covid, while Orleans has six. In Orleans County, there are currently 37 active Covid cases and six are in the hospital. That 16 percent is a high percentage of people with severe symptoms after getting Covid, Pettit told elected officials in Orleans County during a Zoom conference call on Tuesday.

In Genesee the 12 people hospitalized are out of 207 active cases or 6 percent.

“It is troubling, the severity of the cases,” Pettit said. “We are seeing people with more challenging symptoms.”

During the summer and early fall, Pettit said most of the local Covid cases were people who were asymptomatic or who had mild symptoms.

“Now we’re seeing a significant increase in hospitalizations,” Pettit said.

The hospitalizations have been rising fast in the state. They were at 3,774 on Monday. That’s up from the 1,151 on Nov. 1, and 2,124 on Nov. 16. The state passed 3,000 on Nov. 25 with 3,056.

Nationally, there are about 100,000 people hospitalized with Covid, the most during the pandemic. On Nov. 11, the U.S. had 60,000 people hospitalized with Covid.