After peaking at 9% on Wednesday, Chautauqua County saw a slight drop in COVID-19 positivity rate on Thursday even as it reported 71 new cases and a 25th virus-related fatality.

In addition to the cases, The county Department of Health reported a seven-day positivity rate of 8.8% on Thursday. Meanwhile, 34 people are hospitalized with the virus — a drop of two from information released on Wednesday.

The fatality, the second recorded in as many days, appears to be an individual in their 80s, according to a breakdown of deaths by age demographic released by the county. Of the 90 residents between the ages of 80 and 89 to have been diagnosed with the virus, nine have passed away — a 10% fatality rate and the largest of any age demographic in the county.

Of the new cases, 17 involve people living in the Jamestown zip code. To date, of the 2,649 total confirmed cases in the county, 25% have come from Jamestown. The data also shows that 503 individuals in their 20s have been diagnosed with the virus.

Meanwhile, a new round of COVID-19 testing at the Chautauqua County Jail netted 23 positive cases among inmates and one involving a staff member. Sheriff James Quattrone provided an update regarding the outbreak at the jail. He said in collaboration with the county Health Department, 129 COVID tests were administered Wednesday at the Mayville jail.

Since the first positive case of COVID-19 was detected just over three weeks ago, a total of 88 inmates have tested positive. Of the 88 positive cases, 37 have recovered and there are currently 51 active cases which continue to be monitored by the county Health Department. A total of 14 correction staff members have tested positive, six of those have recovered.

As of Thursday, there were 391 active cases, an increase of six from Wednesday’s information. Jamestown has 96 active cases, Mayville has 56 and Dunkirk has 37.

The number of recoveries, meanwhile, has now reached 2,233 people, in addition to 1,443 people in quarantine.

Hospitalizations across the Western New York region have seen a bit of a decrease after hitting an all-time high on Dec. 10. As of Wednesday, 501 people were hospitalized in the region, leaving 25% of hospital beds available in the region — 302 of the 516 ICU beds in the region are also occupied.

Still, during a downstate storm briefing in Kingston, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that the region’s positivity rate — being at 6.5% — is “flattening,” calling the decrease “good news.”

“On COVID, let’s solidify a simple message that we can all agree with. We want to slow the spread, we want to avoid shutdowns, and together we can do it,” Cuomo said. “We slow the spread by being smart during the holiday season. It’s a difficult situation and people come together. There’s a feeling of safety in your home and there’s a feeling of safety when you’re with your family, but it just takes one person who’s infected and doesn’t know it. Half the cases are from people who had no symptoms.”

The Chautauqua County Health Department announced that free COVID-19 testing will be provided in Dunkirk and Jamestown over the next two weeks.

Testing will take place at the Murphy Training Center, 665 Brigham Road, Dunkirk, on Tuesday, Dec. 22, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and on Tuesday, Dec. 29, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

In Jamestown, testing will take place at the Taylor Training Center, 240 Harrison St. on Wednesday, Dec. 23, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Wednesday, Dec. 30, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

COVID-19 testing is free and available for Chautauqua County residents. “We encourage individuals who have been exposed and/or those who have symptoms to schedule an appointment,” the county said in a news release.

In the north county, Dunkirk City School District announced that instruction on Monday, Dec. 21 and Tuesday, Dec. 22 would take place remotely ahead of the Christmas holiday.

Neighboring Cattaraugus County announced 28 new cases of the virus on Wednesday. The county has 629 active cases and 31 hospitalized.