December 14, 2022 by in 14850 Today
The Tompkins County Health Department says there have now been 25,598 total positive cases in Tompkins County, 27 more than on Tuesday, and a total of 1,957,462 tests conducted. They say there is also 1 new positive self-test result for a total of 4,189 submitted through their online portal.
Related: TCHD: If you test positive on an at-home test
As of Wednesday at 7:10am, the Health Department says 198 tests were conducted since the last update. The Tompkins County Health Department publishes NYS vaccine tracking info, showing 88,688 Tompkins County residents have a first dose and 81,506 have completed vaccination (which could be one or two doses, depending on vaccine).
Related: Many are eligible for second booster or additional doses, says Health Department
The Health Department says 6 people are currently hospitalized for COVID-19, the same as in Tuesday’s update. As of a shift in data last winter, “TCHD is reporting only active cases who are hospitalized,” rather than including patients recovered from COVID who remain hospitalized for other reasons.
Related: Uptick in COVID cases and higher hospitalizations shifts community level to Medium
“Of the recent uptick in hospitalizations, a vast majority have been of vaccinated individuals,” Tompkins County Public Health Director Frank Kruppa tells us, but “of the individuals who are vaccinated and have been hospitalized for COVID-19 related reasons, the trend holds that they are largely older adults, age 65+. This data points to the importance of boosters and 2nd boosters for those age 65+.”
Related: CDC and FDA have authorized vaccines for 6 months and up, says Health Department
There have been 73 deaths from COVID-19 recorded among Tompkins County residents, including the death of two area residents reported in early December.
On September 25, Cornell University reported 48 active student cases and 71 active faculty and staff cases. Cornell seems to have halted their weekly updates, and has stopped offering PCR testing on campus.
As of December 14, Ithaca College reported 2 active student cases, with 222 recovered, and 2 active employee cases and 52 recovered employees this academic year.
The Health Department says the public needs to prevent the spread of COVID-19 not just to protect themselves, but others in our community who are most vulnerable to getting very sick – older adults, those who are immune-compromised, and those with underlying chronic health conditions.
TCHD’s Frank Kruppa says, “There is a very high vaccination rate for our community, especially with the successes that have been reported by our local colleges. In addition to the arrival and surveillance testing, many of our new cases are arising from sustained close contact with a positive individual, meaning more than 10 minutes within six feet of a positive case. These close contacts are occurring more frequently in large indoor gatherings that mix different groups of people.”
“Over the past few weeks, our efforts have focused on vaccinating our young people and providing booster doses to those who are eligible,” Kruppa says. “We are distributing self-tests and masks throughout the county as we receive shipments and thank our community partners for assisting in this effort.”
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