LIVE: Health Department COVID-19 Briefing May 1, 2020

Written briefing:

New Cases

• As of 2 p.m.
  • Genesee County received one new positive case of COVID-19, for a total of 150 positive cases.
    • The positive case resides in Batavia.
    • The positive case is in their 70s.
    • The newly positive individual was not on quarantine prior to becoming symptomatic.
    • Three of the previous positive cases have recovered and have been released from mandatory isolation.
    • Four of the total active positive cases are hospitalized.
• Orleans County received one new positive case of COVID-19 for a total of 96 positive cases.
  • The positive case resides in Albion.
  • The positive case is in their 30s.
  • The individual had been on mandatory quarantine prior to becoming symptomatic.
  • Five of the total active positive cases are hospitalized.
• Orleans County has lost two more residents to COVID-19. They were both residents at The Village of Orleans Health & Rehab facility. Both were over 65. We extend our deepest condolences to the family and friends of these individuals during this very difficult time.
• Please take a moment of silence to remember all we have lost in our counties, our state, our nation and around the world. These people are our parents, our grandparents, aunts and uncles, brothers and sisters, friends, neighbors and coworkers. They have each been important to us and they have had an impact on all they have had contact with.

Click here to view the Genesee and Orleans County online map of confirmed cases

The facility breakdown is only showing those facilities from where we received a positive swab for COVID-19. Facilities will be added when and if there is a positive case of COVID-19. If a regulated facility from either of our counties is not listed, there are no positive cases of COVID-19 as of the release of this briefing. The local health departments do not have oversight with many regulated facilities, which may include nursing homes, correctional facilities, hospitals, etc.

• In order to show community spread of the active cases, we have broken out the facilities and all active cases (mandatory isolation, mandatory quarantine and precautionary quarantine and recovery) will only be community cases. We will continue to include all confirmed cases, total tests administered, total negative results, ages and deaths cumulatively for both community and facilities. We found that because we are not the agency that follows non-county regulatory facilities we couldn’t report recoveries. We expect this will give a clearer picture of what is happening in Genesee and Orleans counties.
  • We are having conversations with our local facilities as appropriate to provide guidance and personal protective equipment (PPE) as it is available, but we are limited in what we can do because they are state or federal facilities and not under local oversight. If you have questions or concerns about a specific facility we encourage you to talk directly with the facility and the appropriate oversight agency.
• The NYS Health Department will partner with the State’s Attorney General to investigate nursing home violations. A hotline or online form can be submitted where residents, families, or members of the public can share complaints about nursing homes that have not provided required communications with families about COVID-19 diagnoses or fatalities, nursing home abuse, and neglect including failure to follow rules to keep residents safe. The hotline number is (833) 249-8499 or click this link for the online form.
• Swabbing and antibody testing is becoming increasingly available in the WNY region.If you are experiencing symptoms, contact your primary care provider and they will determine if testing is right for you. If the counties receive an increase in swabbing supplies and the protocol for testing is changed, we will notify the public. The Health Departments are not providing public swabbing due to lack of supplies. For more information on testing click here.
• There is still no cure or vaccination available for COVID-19. Be alert to scams or home remedies. Contact your primary care provider if you have any symptoms and follow his/her instructions.
• Prepping for Re-opening Our Region: Although there currently isn’t any guidance on when WNY will be allowed to reopen, we are optimistic we will have guidance soon and encourage everyone to be prepared in our preparations with our goal to protect the health and safety of our residents. Conditions will be monitored to limit and lessen (mitigate) any rebounds or outbreaks by restarting a phase or returning to an earlier phase, depending on the severity to protect the most vulnerable. Reopening will be data driven to determine the viability of the process. If there is a sharp increase of positive swabs and antibody results we need to determine if it is related to increased testing, lack of following guidance or a combination of the two.
  • For all businesses: Develop a plan to limit the risk of infection of employees and the public. Monitor workforce for symptoms, do not allow symptomatic people to physically return to work until cleared by a medical provider. If possible continue to encourage telework whenever possible.
    • The Health Departments encourage stores and businesses to set guidelines that include not allowing patrons to enter if they are not wearing a face covering or are not wearing it correctly (covering the mouth & nose). For those who cannot wear masks for legitimate breathing issues, ask someone else to run errands for your or call ahead to see if you can have curbside delivery. Make sure you have proper signage noting your policy and that it is visible to your patrons.
    • Close common areas where personnel are likely to congregate and interact or enforce strict social distancing protocols.
    • Ensure 6 foot buffer zones when dealing with the public and between work stations. Prioritize online payments over cashiers when possible.
    • Provide handwashing / hand sanitizing stations for employees and the public.
    • Consider making properly worn face coverings (covering the mouth and nose) mandatory for staff and customers. For those unable to wear masks due to legitimate breathing issues, reassign them so they don’t interact with the public or have close contact with fellow workers.
    • Review your sick leave policy and enforce it so no on exhibiting symptoms is allowed to report for duty. If someone becomes ill at work, have disinfecting protocol in place to clean the area(s) the employee has been in.
  • For everyone: Wearing Masks and Social Distancing is paramount to preventing flare-ups and mini-outbreaks. Everyone needs to be compliant. Correctly wearing cloth masks (covering the mouth and nose) is part of a multipronged approach to stop/slow the spread of COVID-19. We know wearing a face covering is inconvenient and uncomfortable, but it can limit transmission of respiratory germs. The mask traps the droplets before they spread into the environment. Remember wearing a face covering helps to protect others from your potential germs. Since many have been asymptomatic, this will help limit the spread…"My mask protects you, and your mask protects me!" Wearing face coverings is a way of strengthening social distancing.
  • Minimize nonessential travel and adhere to CDC guidelines regarding isolation following travel.
  • Continue the following:
    • Continue frequent handwashing / hand sanitizing if soap and water are not available.
    • Continue frequent sanitizing / cleaning of shared surfaces.
    • Continue Social Distancing – staying 6 feet away from others (non-household members)
    • Continue Wearing face coverings
    • Stay HOME if you are sick!!!

Mental Health

• Everyone reacts differently to stressful situations and having to socially distance yourself from someone you love can be difficult. Below are resources that can help you connect to a professional that can help you through these challenging times:
  • Care + Crisis Helpline is available 24/7 at 585-283-5200 or text "Talk" to 741741;
  • New Yorkers can call the COVID-19 Emotional Support Hotline at 1-844-863-9314 for mental health counseling.
• Domestic Violence: For New Yorkers in need of help or assistance, they can text 844-997-2121 or can go to the new confidential online site to reach a professional. The new text program and confidential online service will make it easier for victims who are isolated with their abusers to get help. Both the text and online service are staffed 24/7 by the Office for the Prevention of Domestic Violence Staff who are experts in the area of domestic violence.