From left to right, UPS, Debbie Caruso, director of pharmacy services, and Dain Erickson, supply specialist.

It took until late October for Chautauqua County to reach the 1,000 mark in confirmed cases of COVID-19 during the pandemic.

The county crossed 2,000 cases just over a month later in early December.

The 3,000th mark took just two weeks.

The county Health Department on Tuesday reported 65 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total to 3,007 since a pandemic was declared in March. The county also recorded its 26th COVID-related death. According to a breakdown of the fatalities-by-age, the most recent death appears to have been an individual in their 80s.

The number of people with the virus in the hospital also has increased, going from 33 reported Monday to 35. The number of active cases, meanwhile, has dropped, from 452 to 382.

Pictured is the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

Of the new cases reported Tuesday, which represents data collected Monday, 20 involve people living in the Jamestown zip code, 10 in Dunkirk, five in Fredonia, five in Silver Creek, six in Frewsburg and four in Ashville. Several municipalities also reported one or two new cases.

Jamestown currently has 119 active cases of COVID, and to date has had 777 cases, accounting for about 26% of the county’s total since March.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo once again warned of a variant of the virus coming from the United Kingdom one day after coming to an agreement with British Airways, Delta and Virgin Atlantic to require negative coronavirus tests prior to boarding flights to John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens.

“The U.K. variant is a real issue — not only is it believed to be 70 percent more contagious than previous strains, but there is a very real chance it is already here,” Cuomo said during a press briefing on Tuesday. “Upon learning of this new variant, we immediately worked with airlines to ensure that anyone getting on a plane from the U.K. bound for New York tests negative, but we need federal action and we need it now.”

“We know that the virus originally got on a plane and came to New York from Europe in the spring,” he added. “It’s inexcusable that the federal government has failed to learn that lesson and we need them to do the smart thing and institute testing requirements for travelers entering the United States from any country. In the meantime, it’s on the rest of us to be smart and continue fighting to stop the spread. Just remember — celebrating smart stops shutdowns. So as everyone prepares to celebrate the holidays, do your part and socially distance, wear a mask and wash your hands.”

As of Tuesday, over 50,000 people in the state of New York had received either the Pfizer or Moderna-manufactured COVID-19 vaccine. As the inoculations continue, the governor also made an appeal to hospitals, nursing home operators and medical personnel to continue their work throughout the holidays.

“I understand it has been a hard year and everybody needs time off, but we are in a foot race with the COVID spread and the vaccination rate,” he said. So I am asking them to continue to vaccinate over the holiday and really that’s the best gift you can give someone.”

UPMC Chautauqua, the largest hospital in the county, received 900 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine Tuesday morning. About 300 of the doses are reportedly earmarked for hospital employees while the rest are expected to be for those included in Phase 1.

Brooks-TLC Hospital in Dunkirk received its shipments of COVID vaccines last week, with an emergency room nurse receiving the first dose. In Jamestown, the first vaccines are expected to be administered later this week.

Neighboring Cattaraugus County announced 55 new cases of the coronavirus on Monday. There are now 637 active cases, 40 hospitalized and over 900 individuals quarantined.

Eric Tichy contributed to this report.