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County Vaccination Rates Lag Statewide Averages

According to state figures, 64.1% of Chautauqua County’s population over the age of 18 has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine while 58.5% have completed their series.

Chautauqua County continues to lag in COVID-19 vaccination rates compared to statewide figures. That comes as the health department on Wednesday announced 115 new cases of the virus, along with two new virus-related deaths, a bump in active cases and several new hospitalizations.

According to the state, 81.7% of New York’s total population over the age of 18 have to date received at least one vaccine dose while 73.4% have completed their vaccination series.

That’s compared to 64.1% of Chautauqua County’s population over the age of 18 that has received at least one dose and 58.5% who have completed their series.

The rate is even lower in Cattaraugus County, where 56.8% of adults have so far received at least one dose. The lowest statewide, though, remains Allegany County, where just 48.7% of adults have been partially vaccinated.

The Chautauqua County Department of Health continues to promote several options local residents have to get the vaccine. Through October at the Chautauqua Lake Central School bus garage, 100 N. Erie St., Mayville, drive-through clinics will be held from 4:30-6:30 p.m. on Sept. 21, Sept. 28, Oct. 5, Oct. 12, Oct. 19, Oct. 26.

SPIKE IN NEW

CASES CONTINUE

The vast majority of new cases reported Wednesday (57) were among residents living in the Jamestown zip code. The other cases break down as follows: 11 in Fredonia; eight in Dunkirk; seven in Falconer; four each in Westfield, Stockton and Sinclairville; three each in Silver Creek, Bemus Point and Brocton; two each in Frewsburg, Lakewood and Sherman; and one each in Panama, Mayville, Kennedy, Cassadaga and Forestville.

There are currently 405 active cases of the virus in Chautauqua County, an increase of 31 from information provided by the health department on Tuesday; 36 people with the virus in the hospital, an increase of five; and 933 people in quarantine, an increase of 65.

To date there have been 10,921 confirmed cases, 10,347 recoveries and 169 virus-related deaths.

There have been 1,576 cases documented since Aug. 1 in the county. Of those, 52% have involved people not vaccinated, 15% who were fully vaccinated, 7% partially vaccinated and 26% whose vaccination status was not known.

According to the Associated Press, New York started seeing an uptick in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations statewide from July to mid-August, when rates began to plateau at levels far below the spring 2020 and winter 2021 peaks.

Hospitals reported nearly 2,500 confirmed COVID-19 patients as of Monday, up 50% from 1,650 as of Aug. 14.

An average of roughly 4,900 people have tested positive each day for COVID-19 in New York over the seven days through Monday. That’s up from as low as 307 in late June.

NEW MASK REQUIREMENTS

All workers at child-care centers in New York now must wear face coverings under a plan announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday. The requirement is effective “now” and applies to all staff and visitors at state-regulated child care centers.

Hochul cited the rise in COVID-19 cases among children and the lack of a vaccine for children under 12 years old.

New York already requires individuals to wear masks in schools, correctional facilities, homeless shelters, transportation hubs and certain healthcare settings like hospitals.

A few school districts in New York have announced lawsuits against the school mask mandate: leaders of at least one Long Island school board are arguing that Hochul and state health commissioner Howard Zucker lack the legal authority to mandate masks.

But Hochul has defended her administration’s decision to require masks at schools statewide by arguing that state government has always had authority to take sweeping steps needed to address a pandemic. And she’s said mask mandates can keep kids in schools five days a week. The governor has also said mask mandates could be eased once infection rates decline and kids can get vaccinated.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.

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