OLEAN — As COVID-19 levels dropped to their lowest level in more than two months in Cattaraugus County, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new guidelines that showed the county in a low level of community transmission.
Just Thursday, the CDC listed Cattaraugus County — along with much of the rest of the counties in New York — in an area of high transmission.
On Friday, the Cattaraugus County Health Department reported 16 new positive COVID-19 test results to county residents. That is down markedly from January when there were more than 200 cases some days, largely due to the Omicron variant which has lately been on the decline.
The new CDC map shows Cattaraugus and Allegany counties — both now counties of low community transmission — surrounded by counties of medium community spread.
Responding to the CDC’s action, Cattaraugus County’s public health director, Dr. Kevin D. Watkins, said, “I think it is well overdue and will be well received by the public.”
Watkins said, “Effective (Friday), CDC is no longer recommending that people wear masks on buses or vans operated by public or private school systems, including early care and education/child care programs.”
Watkins added: “The CDC is no longer recommending universal indoor mask wearing in K-12 schools and early education settings in areas with a low or medium COVID-19 Community Level. Cattaraugus County transmission level is now categorized as low based on the new CDC indicators.”
Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office did not immediately reply to the new CDC guidelines on masks in public schools. That requirement was due to be in effect until March 7. The governor last week lifted the indoor mask requirement that had been in effect since Dec. 10.
Who should take precautions “will depend on the community transmission level, but at this point it is at the public’s discretion,” Watkins said.
There are 42,374 residents who are fully vaccinated. The county’s vaccination rate is 55.7%.
The county did not enforce the governor’s mask mandate, but encouraged residents to wear them as the number of cases of COVID-19 rose in December.
The 16 new cases announced Friday left the health department with 100 active cases of the coronavirus. Eight of the new cases were people who had been vaccinated and eight were unvaccinated.
The new cases boosted the southeast part of the county to a total of 8,137 cases of COVID-19 since March 2020. In the southwest there are now 3,499 cases, the northeast has 3,502 cases and the northwest has a total of 2,512.
There have been 9,241 women diagnosed with COVID-19 and 8,409 men in the two years since the pandemic started.
The CDC COVID Data Tracker showed the number of cases on Feb. 25 down by 28% from the prior seven days. The positivity of 5.6% was down by 2.4% from the previous week and new hospitalizations were down by 81.2%.
Appointments for vaccinations can be made through the Cattaraugus County website by visiting: https://www.cattco.org/covid-vacc-info or call the COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline at (716) 701-3777 if you need assistance.
To register for a free COVID-19 diagnostic test through the county health department, go online to:
