Weekly COVID-19 Statistics Update: September 28 – October 4

October 4, 2021 Kassadee Bradshaw
Graphic of a map of Oswego County with the words COVID-19 Statistics, Oswego County
Graphic by Fred Reed.

OSWEGO COUNTY – According to the Oswego County Health Department, as of 1 p.m., there have been a total of 451  additional cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and four more county residents have died this past week.

“Our deepest condolences go out to the loved ones of those we have lost,” said Oswego County Public Health Director Jiancheng Huang.

A graph of the number of confirmed active COVID-19 cases in Oswego County from the beginning of the pandemic to today, October 4. Image from Oswego County COVID-19 Dashboard.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Oswego County’s community transmission level remains “high,” and little more than half of vaccine-eligible residents are fully vaccinated.

“We must do everything we can to protect ourselves, our loved ones, and our community,” Huang said. “I strongly urge people to protect themselves in public spaces, follow health guidance and get vaccinated.” 

The large numbers of new COVID-19-positive cases have posed some challenges to the County Health Department.

“Ensuring our children remain safe and their schools remain open are important concerns,” said Oswego County Supervising Public Health Nurse Jodi Martin. “Therefore, with the increase in COVID-19 cases, we have prioritized investigating those that are school-related in our effort to keep the virus out of schools.” 

This, combined with the limited number of state-employed case investigators and a delay in laboratory reporting, has caused a backlog in the investigation of other cases.

“We have requested additional help from the state Department of Health over the last week, which has helped us reduce the number of uninvestigated cases,” Martin said.  “We would like people to know that we are working very hard to investigate cases in a timely manner and appreciate their patience. If someone has tested positive for COVID-19 and has not received a call from a case investigator, we ask that they call our COVID-19 Hotline at 315-349-3330. Phone lines are open from 8:30 to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.”

Huang also addressed the County’s COVID-19 testing capacities.

“As many counties across the state, especially rural counties, Oswego County has a limited testing capacity,” Huang said. “Over the past week, we have been exploring different ways to make testing available more quickly to help meet the needs of our community. We have reached out to local partners and testing manufacturers. This process is ongoing, and, as soon as we have a break-through, we will make an announcement.”

The Oswego County Health Department hosts COVID vaccine clinics every Wednesday in October at the Nick Sterio Public Health Clinic, 70 Bunner St., Oswego.

“Our COVID-19 vaccine clinics are open to anyone who is eligible for the vaccine, regardless of where they are in the series,” said Oswego County Medical Director Dr. Christina Liepke. “At any of our clinics, patients can come in for their first, second or third dose.”

On Wednesday, October 6, Health Department staff will administer the patient’s choice of the Pfizer (Comirnaty) Janssen/Johnson & Johnson, and the Moderna vaccine. 

The Pfizer (Comirnaty) and Moderna vaccines are both two-dose vaccines and the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine is a one-dose vaccine. The Pfizer (Comirnaty) vaccine is approved for those aged 12 years and over. The Moderna and Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccines are approved for those aged 18 years and over.

Anyone who needs a first, second, or third dose of Pfizer may walk in during these hours. The Moderna vaccine will be available Wednesday from 5 to 5:30 p.m. Although walk-ins are welcome, online pre-registration is encouraged and appreciated for the clinic’s efficiency. 

Those who would like a Pfizer booster must pre-register.  People can pre-register online at https://health.oswegocounty.com/information/2019_novel_coronavirus/covid-19_vaccine.php or by calling 315-349-3330.

“Many people are anxious to receive a booster now that both the CDC and FDA have recommended Pfizer boosters,” said Dr. Liepke. “It is important to note that if you are like myself, having received the Moderna vaccine many months ago, or if you received the Janssen vaccine, you are not eligible for the Pfizer booster. This should not be alarming as studies show that the COVID-19 vaccines are still very effective, even several months later, at helping to lower your risk of hospitalization and death if you get COVID-19.”

The CDC recommends that certain groups of people get the Pfizer booster six months from their last dose of Pfizer. They include:

  • Those who are 65 years old and over.
  • People who are 18 years old and over and live in a long-term care setting such as a nursing home.
  • Those who are 50 to 64 years old with certain underlying medical conditions (HIV, active cancer, COPD, asthma, chronic kidney disease, sickle cell, obesity, heart disease, chronic liver disease, immune deficiency, diabetes, or history of solid organ transplant or STEM cell transplant etc.).

The CDC further states that the following groups MAY get the booster if they choose to: 

  • Those who are 18 to 49 years old with certain underlying medical conditions mentioned above.
  • Those who are 18 to 64 years old and work in a setting that puts them at high risk of COVID-19 exposure. This includes grocery store workers, food and agricultural workers, educational workers including daycare workers, manufacturing workers, correctional facility workers, public transit workers, US Postal Service workers, and first responders including police, fire and health care workers.

Today’s statistics are below:

Oswego County: (as of 3 p.m.) 

  • Oswego County’s seven-day positivity rate : 6.8% (September 27: 6.5%)
  • Total # of active cases: 555 (September 27: 506)
  • Total # of positive cases: 11,092 (September 27: 10,641)
  • Total # of recoveries: 10,441 (September 27: 10,042)
  • Total # tests: 283,333 (September 27: 276,372)
  • Total # of negative results: 268,733 (September 27: 262,301)
  • Total # of people in mandatory isolation/quarantine: 1,844 (September 27: 1,468)
  • Total # of deaths: 107 (September 27: 103) 
  • Numbers of those vaccinated can be found here.

Municipalities With Cases: Map updated today.

11-25 confirmed cases: Boylston

26-50 confirmed cases: Amboy

51-75 confirmed cases: Orwell, Redfield, Williamstown

76-100 confirmed cases: Minetto

151-200 confirmed cases: Albion, New Haven, Parish

201-250 confirmed cases: Sandy Creek

301-350 confirmed cases: Palermo, West Monroe

351-400 confirmed cases: Constantia, Hannibal

Over 400 confirmed cases: City of Fulton, City of Oswego, Granby, Hastings, Mexico, Oswego Town, Richland, Schroeppel, Scriba, Volney

SUNY Oswego Statistics: (as of today) Note – the college has stopped releasing information on its site, and instead statistics are available on the SUNY-wide COVID-19 Tracker.

Oswego County School Districts: Look for your school district’s COVID-19 report card here. It shows if there are any positive cases within the school district, for students and staff.

Oswego County Nursing Home Deaths: (as of October 2, no change)

  • Nursing home deaths related to COVID-19 :
    • At nursing home – 49 (no change)
    • Outside nursing home – 7 (no change)
  • Assisted living facility deaths related to COVID-19:
    • At assisted living facility – 0 (no change)
    • Outside assisted living facility – 0 (no change)
  • Other adult care facility deaths released to COVID-19:
    • At adult care facility: 0 (no change)
    • Outside adult care facility: 1 (no change)

New York: (as of yesterday) 

  • Total # of positive cases: 2,424,368 (September 27: 2,393,005)
  • Total # of deaths: 44,665 (September 27: 44,431)
    • The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only. Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC – 56,917 (September 27: 56,611). This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings.

Other updates from the state can be found here.

U.S.: (as of 2:21 p.m.)

  • Total # of positive cases: 43,760,712 (September 27: 42,980,449)
  • Total # of deaths: 702,064 (September 27: 688,550)
  • Total # of vaccine doses administered: 394,468,499 (September 27: 388,628,437)

Worldwide: (as of 2:21 p.m.)

  • Total # of positive cases: 235,239,219 (September 27: 232,066,390)
  • Total # of deaths: 4,806,199 (September 27: 4,751,480)

Resources:

COVID-19 Information:

Testing Information:

Free transportation is available to residents to go to COVID-19 test and vaccination sites through a partnership between Oswego County and Oswego County Opportunities, Inc. Transportation is available Monday through Saturday between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Call 315-598-1514 to schedule a ride in advance.

Vaccine Information:

Miscellaneous:

Links For Statistics:

Notes: The total number of positive cases in Oswego County is cumulative since March 2020 and the number of recoveries and deaths are of those numbers. SUNY Oswego cases are included in the county numbers, however, the county tracks only those living in Oswego County. That means that students who chose to leave and go back to their home county and test positive there will be included on the college’s dashboard, but not the county’s. Their positive result would be reported to their home county, not here.

The first two cases in Oswego County were confirmed March 22, 2020.

Print this entry

Discover more from Oswego County Today

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.