Cayuga County is one of three counties in New York and 17 in the country with a high COVID-19 transmission rate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s metrics.
The CDC measures the COVID-19 community level based on the number of new COVID-19 cases, hospital admissions and hospital beds in use. COVID-19 cases have increased in Cayuga County over the last few weeks. According to the local health department, the county has 210 active cases, down from 244 on Wednesday.
COVID-related hospitalizations have fluctuated. According to reports from central New York hospitals, 12 residents were hospitalized with COVID on Wednesday. That number has decreased to six in the last two days.
With the CDC’s designation, the health department urged residents to take precautions, such as using masks indoors and in public spaces, staying home when sick and getting tested if they develop symptoms.
The case rates in Cayuga County and central New York are being monitored by the state Department of Health. The latest update from Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office notes that the seven-day average case rate in central New York is 37.67 per 100,000 people, the highest of any region in the state. It increases to 47.73 per 100,000 people when at-home test results from Onondaga County are included in the tally.
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According to the state health department, the region’s hospitalization rate is 1.7 per 100,000 people, which is higher than the statewide average of 0.7 per 100,000 people.
Because of the higher-than-average case and hospitalization rates, the state Department of Health is asking residents to get vaccinated and wear masks in indoor public spaces, regardless of their vaccination status.
“The high number of COVID-19 cases in central New York suggests that transmission of the virus is widespread throughout the region, and levels remain above the state average,” state Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett said. “The good news is we have the tools to address this.”
More than 100,000 at-home test kits have been distributed in central New York. Vaccination clinics, operated by state and local health departments, are open. Therapeutics are also available for infected individuals in need of treatment.
The cause of the spike in central New York’s case rates is still unknown. Kathleen Cuddy, Cayuga County’s public health director, said the combination of the winter break and the lifting of the mask mandate in schools could be contributing to the increase.
Since the school mask mandate was lifted in New York, some Cayuga County districts reported upticks in cases. In the last two weeks, the seven school districts located within the county had 255 confirmed cases among students, teachers and staff.
Auburn, the largest of the county’s school districts, had the most cases (91) in a 14-day period.
Politics reporter Robert Harding can be reached at (315) 282-2220 or robert.harding@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @robertharding.
