Press release:
“According to the CDC COVID Data Tracker (https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view) Orleans County has increased to substantial level of community transmission,” stated Paul Pettit, Director of the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health). “Genesee County is currently maintaining a moderate level of transmission for COVID-19. This is not surprising as Niagara, Erie, and Monroe Counties are all considered to be at the substantial level of transmission.”
“We continue to monitor the data and update the Genesee – Orleans – Wyoming COVID Case Tracker map daily (https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/5f8401b0516247b490934303e3975e49/),” stated Pettit.
Although we are not sending daily data updates to the media, the GO Health website is updated on Monday’s and Thursday’s with COVID-19 data and the public can access this information by visiting our website at www.GOHealthNY.org and clicking on Emerging Issues.
Both Genesee and Orleans are experiencing an uptick of new cases of COVID-19, including some cases where the individuals are fully vaccinated. This is not unexpected as we are seeing this across the state and nation. This is what viruses do. Even for those who are fully vaccinated there is a chance the individual may become infected with COVID-19, especially due to the high transmission rate of the Delta Variant. Although being fully vaccinated may not completely protect someone from getting COVID-19, the vast majority of those who have been fully vaccinated and have become infected had little or no symptoms or serious complications.
It is important for everyone who is not vaccinated and eligible, to get vaccinated as soon as possible. The vaccination is free and clinics are held weekly at each of the health departments (visit: https://bit.ly/GOHealthCOVID for updated clinics and locations). Pharmacies and health care providers also provide the COVID-19 vaccine and you can visit (www.vaccines.gov) for a location near you. If anyone has concerns about whether or not the vaccine is right for them, we encourage them to talk to their primary care provider.
Per the CDC recommendations for communities with substantial or high spread of COVID-19 we encourage everyone to continue, vaccinated and unvaccinated, to continue practicing the following public health prevention precautions:
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water.
- If water is not readily available, use hand sanitizer.
- Wash and sanitize frequently shared/touched items.
- Stay 6 feet away from others and avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid crowds and poorly ventilated spaces.
- Wear a face mask indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission.
- Monitor your health daily and stay home if you are experiencing any symptoms.
- Get tested if you are experiencing symptoms and self-isolate until you get your results back. If you test positive for COVID, you are to isolate for 10 days.
“The best way to protect yourself from COVID-19 or health complications from COVID-19 is to get vaccinated,” stated Pettit. “Now is the best time to take advantage of getting vaccinated for COVID-19 before the new school term starts and the weather changes and we start moving back indoors”.
