Onondaga County Now Has ‘High’ Covid Spread Rate, CDC Says

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Covid-19 is now spreading at a high rate in Onondaga County.

That’s up from the county’s previous substantial spread rate.

The county now records more than 102 cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people, based on a seven-day average, according to the CDC.

In late July, the CDC began recommending indoor masks even for people vaccinated in areas of the country with significant or high Covid spread rates. Onondaga County had seen substantial spread for more than a week before reaching high levels today.

The new mask guidelines cover areas with 50 or more Covid cases per 100,000 people over a seven-day period or where 8% or more of Covid tests come back positive.

A total of 50 New York counties now have substantial or high Covid spread rates, including several locations in upstate New York. Here is the full list:

High:

• Albany County
• Bronx County
• Broome County
• Chenango County
• Delaware County
• Dutchess County
• Hamilton County
• Herkimer County
• Kings County (Brooklyn)
• Lewis County
• Nassau County
• New York County (Manhattan)
• Onondaga County
• Orange County
• Queens County
• Rensselaer County
• Richmond County (Staten Island)
• Rockland County
• Saratoga County
• Schenectady County
• Suffolk County
• Sullivan County
• Warren County
• Westchester County

Substantial:

• Cayuga County
• Chautauqua County
• Chemung County
• Cortland County
• Erie County
• Franklin County
• Fulton County
• Greene County
• Madison County
• Monroe County
• Montgomery County
• Niagara County
• Oneida County
• County of Orleans
• Oswego County
• Otsego County
• Putnam County
• Schoharie County
• Seneca County
• County of Saint-Laurent
• Tioga County
• Tompkins County
• Ulster County
• Washington County
• Wayne County
• Yates County

New cases of Covid and hospitalizations have been increasing in New York since early July. Cases statewide have increased eightfold and hospital admissions have more than tripled.

In Onondaga County, new cases have risen from one figure to dozens per day. Hospitalizations have gone from ten to thirty.

Officials said the most contagious delta variant of the coronavirus was behind the latest wave.

Despite the spike in cases, Governor Andrew Cuomo has not issued any new statewide mask warrants or other new Covid precautions. He said new rules must come from local governments since the state’s pandemic emergency ended in June.

Cuomo said earlier today that he plans to step down in 14 days after a state attorney general report found he sexually harassed several women. Lieutenant Governor Kathy Hochul will take over.

Onondaga County Director Ryan McMahon said he did not yet have a plan for a large mask tenure. But he has signed executive orders requiring masks at senior citizen facilities and inside buildings at the New York State Fair, which begins August 20.

McMahon and others have said Covid vaccines remain the best tools to fend off the pandemic. All vaccines approved to date are effective against delta and other variants of the virus.

Injections prevent cases and are particularly effective in stopping serious illness, hospitalizations and death.

MORE ABOUT CORONAVIRUS

Coronavirus in New York: cases, maps, charts and resources

CNY School District To Require Teachers To Show Proof Of Vaccination Or Wear A Mask: “This Is Not A Witch Hunt”

Onondaga County to recommend temperature checks and screenings in schools this fall

Masks in schools? Do covid vaccines work against delta? Top Upstate doctor answers your questions

Full coronavirus coverage at syracuse.com

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