Four more COVID deaths reported in region

Apr. 17—Three more Chenango County residents and one Otsego County resident have died from COVID-19.

In its daily report Friday, the Chenango County Department of Health said, "This morning we are sad to report the confirmation of 3 additional COVID-19 related deaths in Chenango County. Our deeps sympathies go out to the loved ones of the deceased. These tragedies further emphasize the need now more than ever to beat this disease. We strongly urge all residents get vaccinated and maintain best practices including social distancing, masking in public and using good handwash techniques."

The county also reported 17 new cases. There were 113 active cases in the county, according to the media release, with seven people hospitalized and 411 under active quarantine.

The county has recorded 3,048 confirmed cases and 72 deaths since the pandemic began.

In Otsego County, Public Health Director Heidi Bond warned that COVID-19 remains a threat. The report of another COVID-19 death in the county underscored that point.

"COVID 19 continues to cause illness in the community. Despite increasing vaccination rates the number of new cases per day is not declining," she said in a media release. "The average number of new cases reported per day was 24 in January, 15 in February, 24 in March and 21 in April."

Bond also warned the number of children under the age of 18 becoming infected is increasing.

"Children under the age of 16 are the only population unable to be vaccinated. It is important to remember that we need to continue to practice the public health measures to ensure the unvaccinated population does not become infected," she said. "In order to protect those that cannot be vaccinated it is imperative that everyone eligible gets vaccinated. This is one of the best ways to stop transmission."

The county now says it has had 57 deaths, though three have been reported since a tally of 55 was released Friday, April 9. A phone call and an email, seeking clarification, have not been returned.

There were 18 new cases reported Friday, according to the Department of Health website. There were160 active cases and seven people hospitalized.

The county's testing positivity rate was 0.6%, down from the seven-day average of 1.6%.

The county has recorded 4,187 total cases since tracking of the disease began.

Delaware County reported 14 new cases Friday.

According to a media release from Delaware County Public Health, there were 108 active cases in the county, with 15 people hospitalized and 224 under mandatory quarantine.

The county has recorded 2,182 cases and 46 deaths since the pandemic began.

Schoharie County reported five new cases Friday. The county has had 1,543 cases and 15 deaths, according to the state COVID-19 Tracker website.

While numbers continue to mount locally, things are improving statewide.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that COVID-19 hospitalizations dropped to 3,884, the lowest since Nov. 30. The statewide seven-day average positivity rate dropped to 3.04 percent, the lowest since Nov. 25. The daily positivity rate was 2.81%.

According to a media release, there were 868 patients in intensive care units, with 543 intubated.

There were 43 COVID-19 deaths in the state Thursday.

"COVID-19 hospitalizations are down to their lowest level since November 30, which is basically Thanksgiving, so we are fully back to the point before the holiday surge. I want to make it especially clear that it is the actions of a community — the actions of individuals as a collective — that matter," Cuomo said. "We know how the virus spreads, so it's a question of your behavior and the precautions you take. The more precautions you take, the fewer people get infected. We're at a point now where we've communicated all the information that we can communicate and everyone knows the facts. We've beseeched people to take it seriously, but it is now up to you. It's up to you as an individual, you as a family, you as a community. Our recovery is going to be a function of how many vaccinations we take, and I believe that there is a civic and community duty for individuals to take a vaccine. No one can be safe unless everyone is safe."