OSWEGO COUNTY – According to the Oswego County Health Department, as of 3 p.m. today, there has been one additional case of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) since yesterday. The cumulative reported number is 73 cases across the county and of those, 60 have recovered and three have died.
Oswego County Legislature Chairman James Weatherup briefed the public today in a YouTube video when he discussed the reopening of Central New York.
Governor Andrew Cuomo’s New York on PAUSE is set to expire this Friday, May 15. He announced today that New York will be reopening drive-in movie theaters and some other low-risk businesses and recreational activities statewide on Friday. Outdoor activities like tennis, as well as landscaping and garden businesses will be allowed to reopen.
“In order for business to reopen, each business and industry must have a plan to protect employees and consumers, make the physical workspace safer and implement processes that lower risk of infection in the business,” Weatherup said.
These plans must address the following items:
adjust workplace hours and shift design as necessary to reduce density in the workplace
enact social distance protocols
restrict non-essential travel for employees
require all employees and customers to wear face masks if in frequent contact with others
implement strict cleaning and sanitation standards
enact a continuous health screening process for individuals to enter the workplace
continue tracing, tracking and reporting of cases
develop a liability process
“Coronavirus is still active in our county and in our region,” Weatherup said. “We each have to do everything we can to prevent this virus from spreading if we hope to reopen our regions soon.”
The Central New York region, as of yesterday, has six out of the seven requirements to reopen the region. The missing requirement is 30 per 1,000 residents tested monthly (7 day average of new tests per day). For more information, visit the state’s Regional Monitoring Dashboard[1].
Today’s statistics are below.
Oswego County:[2] (as of 3 p.m.) Note, the total number of positive cases is cumulative and the number of recoveries and deaths are of those numbers.
Total # of active cases: 10 (yesterday: 11)
Total # of positive cases: 73 (yesterday: 72)
Total recoveries: 60 (yesterday: 58)
Total # of deaths: 3 (no change since yesterday)
Total # people tested: 2,149 (yesterday: 2,108)
Total # of negative results: 2,003 (yesterday: 1,968)
Pending results: 67 (yesterday: 62)
Total # of people in precautionary quarantine: 53 (yesterday: 49)
Total # of people in mandatory isolation/quarantine: 56 (yesterday: 61)
Total completed/released from monitoring: 2,239 (yesterday: 2,198)
Unacast social distancing score (as of yesterday): D-[3]
All known contacts of COVID-19 positive patients are being notified. In the event that a known case had public exposure when they were contagious, such as someone who worked in a restaurant, the county health department would alert citizens through the news media and social media.
Areas With Cases (alphabetical order):
COVID-19 has been identified in the cities of Fulton and Oswego and the towns of Boylston, Constantia, Granby, Hastings, Mexico, Minetto, New Haven, Orwell, Oswego, Palermo, Richland, Sandy Creek, Schroeppel, Scriba, Volney, West Monroe and Williamstown.
Note, no new additions were added today. The county does not release the town/city of individual cases. If there has been a new case and a new area has not been added, that means it is in an area that has already been affected before. Once an area is added it is not removed from the list because the county does not say when a town/city no longer has a case.
New York: [4](as of yesterday)
Total # of positive cases: 337,055 (the day before: 335,395)
Total # of deaths: 21,640 (the day before: 21,478)
Unacast social distancing score (as of yesterday): D+
Watch today’s briefing given by Governor Andrew Cuomo here[5].
Other updates[6] from the state include:
Nonessential businesses will stay closed through May 15.
All K-12 schools and college facilities statewide will remain closed and continue to provide distance learning, meal delivery and childcare services for the remainder of the school year.
Governor Cuomo issued executive orders 202.17[7] and 202.18[8] requiring all people in New York to wear masks or face coverings in public, including when taking public or private transportation or riding in for-hire vehicles.
The Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley Regions have met all seven metrics required to begin phase one of the state’s regional phased reopening plan[9] when NYS on PAUSE orders expire on May 15.
Certain low-risk business and recreational activities will be ready to reopen statewide on May 15, including landscaping and gardening businesses; and recreational activities such as tennis and drive-in movie theaters.
Governor Cuomo released a guide[10] to the state’s “NY Forward Reopening” Plan, along with the state’s regional monitoring dashboard[11].
Governor Cuomo proposes “Americans First Law” stating a corporation cannot receive government funding if it does not rehire the same number of employees pre-pandemic.
Governor Cuomo issues Executive Order mandating all nursing home staff be tested for COVID-19 twice per week.
Hospitals cannot discharge a patient to a nursing home unless that patient tests negative for COVID-19.
Department of Health and Human Services has distributed new treatment Remdesivir to help patients infected with COVID-19 recover more quickly.
New Yorkers without health insurance can apply through NY State of Health through June 15, 2020; must apply within 60 days of losing coverage.
A new contest asks New Yorkers to create and share a video explaining why wearing a mask in public is important. Interested applicants can go to wearamask.ny.gov[12].
Health care workers can text NYFRONTLINE to 741-741 to access 24/7 emotional support services.
New Yorkers can call the COVID-19 Emotional Support Hotline at 1-844-863-9314 for mental health counseling.
Testing is free for all eligible New Yorkers as ordered by a health care provider.
U.S.[13]: (as of 3:32 p.m)
Total # of positive cases: 1,340,643
Total # of deaths: 79,935 (yesterday: 79,124)
Total # of recoveries: 216,169 (yesterday: 212,534)
Unacast social distancing score (as of yesterday): D-
Worldwide:[14] (as of 3:32 p.m.)
Total # of positive cases: 4,153,871 (yesterday: 4,081,970)
Total # of deaths: 284,628 (yesterday: 281,399)
Total # of recoveries: 1,432,847 (yesterday: 1,395,197)
What It Means:
Status Required for Precautionary Quarantine – Person meets one or more of the following criteria:
has traveled to China, Iran, Japan, South Korea, or Italy, but is not displaying symptoms;
or is known to have had a proximate exposure (being in the same enclosed environment such as a classroom, office, or gatherings but greater than 6 ft from a person displaying symptoms of COVID-19 or someone who has tested positive for COVID-19) to a positive person but has not had direct contact with a positive person and is not displaying symptoms.
Status for Required Mandatory Quarantine – Person has been in close contact (within 6 feet) with someone who is positive, but is not displaying symptoms for COVID-19; or person has traveled to China, Iran, Japan, South Korea, or Italy, and is displaying symptoms.
Status for Required Mandatory Isolation – Person has tested positive for COVID-19, whether or not displaying symptoms for COVID-19.
Status for Total Positive Cases Recovered – Person no longer has fever for 72 hours, symptoms have improved, and they meet the requirements to be released from mandatory isolation set by the New York State Department of Health.
Protocol for Testing – New York State Department of Health[15]
As New York State aggressively expands COVID-19 diagnostic testing capacity, the Department of Health has revised guidance to increase testing for frontline workers, including all first responders, health care workers, and essential employees who interact with the public, while continuing to prioritize resources.
Testing is done at the Oswego Hospital or the Pulaski Urgent Care. Testing is free for all eligible New Yorkers as ordered by a health care provider.
Testing for COVID-19 shall be authorized by a health care provider for individuals who meet one or more of the following criteria:
An individual is symptomatic or has a history of symptoms of COVID-19 (e.g. fever, cough, and/or trouble breathing), particularly if the individual is 70 years of age or older, the individual has a compromised immune system, or the individual has an underlying health condition; or
An individual has had close (i.e. within six feet) or proximate contact with a person known to be positive with COVID-19; or
An individual is subject to a precautionary or mandatory quarantine; or
An individual is employed as a health care worker, first responder, or other essential worker who directly interacts with the public while working; or
An individual presents with a case where the facts and circumstances – as determined by the treating clinician in consultation with state or local department of health officials – warrant testing.
Testing for Essential Workers in New York State[16]
Guidelines from the Oswego County Health Department:
Stay home as much as possible.
Wear a face mask or covering over your nose and mouth.
Avoid non-essential gatherings of all types and sizes. (All non-essential gatherings of any size are banned.)
Keep six feet from other people.
Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially before eating.
Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue and then throw the tissue in the trash.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Stay home if you are sick, unless you are seeking health care.
Call your healthcare provider from home if you are experiencing symptoms such as a fever, cough or shortness of breath.
Do not go to an emergency department unless you are experiencing life-threatening conditions.
Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
These are everyday habits that can help prevent the spread of several viruses.
Resources:
Oswego County COVID-19 Hotline: 315-349-3330
New York Mental Health Hotline: 1-844-863-9314
Oswego COVID-19 Mental Health and Crisis Hotline: 315-343-5507
Oswego County YouTube Updates[17]
These videos are briefings given by Oswego County officials Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
City of Oswego Emergency Assistance[18]
Fulton Coronavirus Hotline – 315-895-4767
Fulton COVID-19 updates[19]
Oswego County Health Department [20]
Oswego County Health Department COVID-19 dashboard[21]
New York Department of Health[22]
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention[23]
Unacast Social Distancing Scoreboard[24]
Where to get help with food and general assistance[25]
Oswego County Office for the Aging[26] – 315-349-3484
New York State Department of Health: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-testing
Testing for Essential Workers in New York State: https://health.oswegocounty.com/information/2019_novel_coronavirus/NYS%20DOH%20Get%20Tested%20Flyer050402.pdf
Oswego County YouTube Updates: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1ELFNINuYGu9umMYQoyKMg
City of Oswego Emergency Assistance: http://cityofoswegoemergencyassistance.org/index.html
Oswego County Health Department : https://health.oswegocounty.com/information/2019_novel_coronavirus/index.php
Oswego County Health Department COVID-19 dashboard: https://coronavirus-oswegocounty.hub.arcgis.com/
New York Department of Health: https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/index.html
Unacast Social Distancing Scoreboard: https://www.unacast.com/covid19/social-distancing-scoreboard
Where to get help with food and general assistance: https://www.oco.org/employee-portal/updated-food-resources-in-oswego-county-4-8-2020?fbclid=IwAR1kEbu_-tbBd8sW6BCuQhD6i3lLD1Gd92Vm5DXlxuzxDWMrTD2Hz7kN_EE
Oswego County Office for the Aging: https://www.oswegocounty.com/departments/human_services/office_for_the_aging/index.php