Morning News Briefing
Written by WBTA STAFF on March 27, 2020
Two new cases of the coronavirus infection have been reported in Genesee County raising the total number of those infected to four.
According to the latest report from the county Health Department yesterday afternoon two residents tested positive for the virus, one person was under the age of 65 and the other was older.
Both patients live in the central part of the county, have been placed under mandatory isolation and been hospitalized.
The Health Department has already initiated contact tracing for both new cases and known contacts have already been placed under mandatory quarantine.
If any of the contacts begin showing symptoms they will be tested as well.
If a person is identified as a contact, they will be notified by the County Health Department and quarantined.
Also as of yesterday afternoon Orleans County had one new case.
The individual is under 65 and has been isolated in an adjacent county.
The U.S. now has the most cases of coronavirus in the world.
Data from Johns Hopkins University shows the U.S. now has more than 82-thousand cases, passing both Italy and China.
Over eleven-hundred people have died in the U.S. Most of those deaths have been in New York and Washington State.
The news is getting worse when it comes to the number of New Yorkers infected by the coronavirus.
Officials say there are now over 37-thousand confirmed cases while the number of deaths attributed to the disease is also rising.
Governor Cuomo is still predicting the pandemic will overwhelm the state’s health care system and says work continues on making more hospital beds available.
Experts believe the number of coronavirus cases in New York could peak in two or three weeks.
Three more Erie County residents have died as a result of the coronavirus.
Officials say the individuals were a woman in her 70s, man in his 70s and man in his 80s.
Their names haven’t been released.
A total of five Erie County residents have passed away due to the illness.
Meanwhile, the number of coronavirus cases in the county is now over 220 and expected to keep rising.
The death of a fourth Monroe County resident has been attributed to the coronavirus.
No information about the individual has been released.
Meanwhile, the number of infected people in the county has risen past 145.
Over 30 people have been hospitalized due to the disease and more than 500 are in mandatory quarantine.
The United Memorial Medical Center in Batavia along with several other Rochester Regional Health hospitals added tents to their facilities this week as an extension of primary care services.
The tent sites are being used to decrease the potential of exposure to COVID-19 while keeping patients and individuals safe.
The tents are not just to be used for COVID-19 testing but health care workers will evaluate for other medical issues.
Beginning Monday UMMC will staff the tents from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Before coming to the site, people experiencing symptoms are still encouraged to contact their primary care provider.
The Law Street Yard Waste Station remains closed until further notice.
All non-essential operations including the Waste Station have been suspended for the time being due to the precautions related to COVID-19.
When suspensions are lifted the City will provide additional information as to when the Yard Waste Station is re-opening.
