Covid-19 cases up for second straight week in Erie and Niagara counties – Buffalo News

New Covid-19 cases reported in Erie and Niagara counties saw an uptick for a second straight week, county health department officials announced.
Erie County’s total of 975 cases during the week ending Dec. 10 was 86 greater than the 889 cases for the week ending Dec. 3. Two weeks ago, the total was 524. Results from at-home tests were not included.
The Niagara County Health Department reported that new positive cases totaled 130 for the most recent week, up 7 from the previous week and 25 more than two weeks ago.
New cases in Buffalo accounted for 33.1% of the reports in Erie County. The city’s population accounts for 29.2% of all county residents.
The seven-day case rate per 100,000 persons was 102, up from 93 the previous week. Erie County remains in the “medium” ranking of Covid-19 community levels set by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In the CDC’s community transmission ratings, Erie County returned to a “high” rating, health officials noted, due to a test positivity rate higher than 10%.
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Dale Anderson has been a Buffalo News staff reporter since 1968. He was the chief rock and pop writer for 20 years and helped establish the weekend entertainment magazine Gusto.
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