Midday News Brief
Written by Doug Thompson on January 10, 2022
Starting tomorrow, a new visitation policy is going to be in effect at facilities that are operated by Rochester Regional Health. Due to the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the area, no visitors will be allowed to see emergency room patients, cancer infusion center patients or patients who are in enhanced isolation and being treated for coronavirus. There will be exceptions made for pediatric patients or people receiving end-of-life care. Also, all patients and visitors must wear medical masks in the hospital.
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Researchers from the Center for Disease Control reports that children who have recovered from COVID-19 appear to be at significantly increased risk of developing Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes. The heightened risk has already been observed in adults who recover from COVID. The CDC study is among the first to examine insurance claim databases in the United States to estimate the prevalence of new diabetes diagnoses among children under the age of 18.
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The number of Erie County residents who have tested positive for COVID-19 is continuing to grow at a rapid rate. The Department of Health says in the past week, more than 19,000 people have contracted the virus. That number includes over 2200 infections the agency reported yesterday. Overall, there have been 175,405 confirmed cases of the coronavirus confirmed in Erie County since the pandemic started.
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Over the weekend, New York State reported a record of over 90,000 new cases of COVID-19. The state has now had over 4,000,000 infections since the start of the pandemic. Another 154 individuals died, one of the highest daily totals since the pandemic started over a year ago. The already-strained health-care system in the state saw an increase of over 11,800 new hospitalizations. Only three other states have reported a total of over 4-million cases of COVID; they are Texas, Florida and California.
A week after his 14-year-old son was shot dead near the family’s Rochester home, the boy’s father, Julius Greer, Sr., is asking anyone who knows anything about the killing to come forward. Julius, Jr. died last Sunday evening, becoming the first homicide victim in Rochester in 2022. Anyone with information about the case should call 9-1-1. [or Crime Stoppers at 585-423-9300]
When the Batavia City School board meets tomorrow evening at 6pm, one agenda item for consideration is a contract with Enviro-Mist to use medical grade disinfectant devices in the schools. The goal is to kill pathogens on surfaces and in the air. Also on the agenda are repairs to the High School’s roof, which was damaged in last month’s wind storm. The two phase repair being considered will cost a total of $43,000.
Parts of Orleans and Monroe counties have the best chance of accumulating snow tonight, with 3 – 5 inches predicted. Snow showers could leave up to 3” of snow in Genesee County by early morning.
Two people have been taken into custody after robbing an elderly woman and leading officers on a chase through Rochester. The 84-year-old victim told investigators she was carjacked in the area of the Sunoco station on West Ridge Road in Greece last night moments before the pursuit began. Police haven’t released the names of the suspects or said what charges they could be facing. The woman wasn’t seriously hurt during the robbery.
While a judge has approved its demolition, local historical preservation groups are still trying to stop the Great Northern grain elevator in Buffalo from being torn down. State Senator Sean Ryan, Assemblyman Jonathan Rivera and a representative of Preservation Buffalo Niagara held a news conference yesterday where they said the building can still be saved and repaired. It was damaged by a windstorm in December and has been the subject of a weeks long legal battle. The grain elevator was built in 1897 and is the last of its kind in North America.
For the second year in a row, the Buffalo Bills have been crowned as the kings of the AFC East. Quarterback Josh Allen threw for 239 yards and tossed a pair of touchdowns as the Bills beat the New York Jets 27 to 10 at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park yesterday. Devin Singletary also had a rushing score for Buffalo who finished the regular season with a record of 11 wins and six losses. Up next for the Bills is a home playoff game on Saturday against the New England Patriots.
Western New York drivers still aren’t noticing much of a change in prices when filling up their vehicles. According to Triple A, the average cost for a gallon of regular gas is now $3.49. That’s the same as it was last week and is two cents cheaper than this time one month ago. The state average is the same – $3.49 a gallon – while nationally it’s $3.30.
After having a few days off, Buffalo Public School students will be heading back to their classrooms today. They haven’t been in school since last week due to winter weather and some staffing shortages. Superintendent Doctor Kriner Cash also says 300,000 KN95 masks are going to be available to kids and teachers and that 500,000 more have been ordered. The district is holding a COVID-19 vaccination clinic from 3:30pm until 7:00pm Thursday at the International School on Hoyt Street.
