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County sees fewer COVID cases being reported

Fewer cases of COVID-19 are being documented in Chautauqua County. The county Health Department on Wednesday said there were 253 new cases for the week ending Feb. 19. It's the sixth straight week cases have been trending downward, with average daily cases currently around 36. Health officials have noted that because positive test results through use of at-home kits are not always reported, the county's information represents the minimum number of cases. To date there have been at least 26,801 confirmed cases in the county as well as 26,289 recoveries and 320 virus-related deaths. ...

Poll: Majority want info before deciding on fate of school mask mandate

More than half of New York residents polled recently say they'd prefer to see more data before deciding whether a state mandate requiring face masks in schools should be lifted. According to the results of a Siena College poll released Tuesday, 58% said they would like to see the early March ...

NY won’t enforce booster mandate for health care workers

ALBANY (AP) — New York will not enforce its mandate requiring health care workers to get COVID-19 boosters in light of concerns about staffing shortages, state health officials said Friday. Gov. Kathy Hochul pointed to a troubling rise in breakthrough infections when she announced the mandate in January. Her administration set a deadline of Feb. 21. But state health commissioner Mary Bassett said Friday that the decision to drop enforcement of the mandate reflects the reality that booster rates remain low, particularly in nursing homes. "While we are making progress with 75% of ...

Rate of new virus cases continues downward trend

The rate of new confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Chautauqua County continues to drop, according to information provided Wednesday by the health department. The county did note that the information, including new cases and virus-related deaths, reflects the minimum locally as positive cases determined through the use of at-home tests are not always reported. For the week ending Feb. 12, the county reported 339 new cases, or about 48 a day. That represents the fifth week in a row that cases have trended downward and the first time the daily average has dropped below 50 since the health ...

New York lets broad mask mandate expire, but not in schools

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday that the state will end a COVID-19 mandate requiring face coverings in most indoor public settings, but will keep masking rules in place in schools. The mandate requiring face coverings in most indoor public settings, like grocery stores, shops ...

COVID cases continue to drop in county

For the fourth consecutive week, the number of new COVID cases recorded each day on average has dropped in Chautauqua County. That comes as cases across New York state and the nation have come down recently. The county Health Department on Wednesday reported 1,026 new cases for the week ending Jan. 29 — or slightly more than 146 each day last week. For the week ending Jan. 22, the county reported about 236 average daily cases; about 249 a day for the week ending Jan. 15; and about 265 a day for the week ending Jan. 8. The health department did note four new virus-related ...