The number of people inside Chautauqua County hospitals who have tested positive for COVID-19 dropped just slightly last week. However, the vast majority — 32 of the 39 hospitalizations — involve individuals not fully vaccinated against the virus.

On Tuesday, the county Health Department reported 544 new confirmed cases of the virus for the week ending on Christmas. That bumped the county’s total during the pandemic to 18,428. There have also been 17,687 recoveries as well as 271 virus-related deaths after 14 were recorded last week.

As of Christmas, there were 470 active cases in the county, 742 people in quarantine and a seven-day positivity rate of 9.5%. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention level of community transmission remains high locally.