Genesee County officials held a briefing with the media regarding various COVID-19 updates, including local data for Genesee & Orleans Counties on Thursday morning via Zoom.
According to Paul Pettit, Public Health Director for Genesee and Orleans counties, household spread is behind the high positivity rate in both counties.
Currently, Genesee County has a 7-day positivity rate of 12.5% while Orleans has a 12.2% 7-day positivity rate.
“If you are symptomatic stay home,” says Petitt.
Most people say they thought they just had a cold and end up testing positive for COVID-19, according to Pettit.
Currently, 55.9 % of the population in Genesee County has been vaccinated, with only 10% of children being vaccinated.
In Orleans County, 52 % of the population is vaccinated with 9.5% of children being vaccinated.
Breakthrough cases among the vaccinated is 30%. Genesee County reports 1,087 positive cases who are fully vaccinated and 2,544 who are positive unvaccinated cases.
In Orleans County, there are 807 positive cases who are fully vaccinated and 2,009 who are positive unvaccinated cases, or 29%.
35 are hospitalized in Genesee County and 13 in Orleans County.
According to Dan Ireland, President at UMMC/Rochester Regional Health, there are 200 positive cases hospitalized at Rochester Regional Health and 11% at UMMC in Batavia. 62% in the ICU are COVID positive with 80% being unvaccinated. 100% of those on ventilators are unvaccinated.
“Our community needs to help us out, get vaccinated and test before getting together will help us on the hospital side, “says Ireland.
An option of submitting home test results online to the Genesee/Orleans County Health Department is coming soon, Petitt says a mechanism to submit the tests online should be ready for use by next week.
If using home testing, the community is advised to isolate immediately if you get a positive home test.
Link below to health department website for vaccination and testing information for COVID-19.
GO Health – Genesee & Orleans Public Health Departments (gohealthny.org)
After one year, the people who wanted the vaccine got it and the people who don’t want it haven’t. Plain & Simple. This is nothing but preaching to the choir at this point. From the safety of Zoom. What a waste of taxpayer money.