County COVID cases exceed 4,700; state reports 3 deaths

January 10, 2021

Chautauqua County, which does not update its COVID-19 numbers during the weekend, has surpassed 4,700 cases. According to New York state and Gov. Andrew Cuomo, there are 4,708 positive COVID cases through Saturday. In addition, there have been three deaths linked to the virus by the state this weekend. Hospitalization numbers in Western New York continue to decline. Through Saturday, 507 were reported in hospitals, down from 548 on Monday. New York state reports 72% capacity for hospital beds and 64% capacity for the region's intensive care unit.

After COVID, Fredonia mayor ‘lucky to be here’

January 9, 2021

Fredonia Mayor Douglas Essek continues to recover from COVID-19, which led to the elected official contracting double pneumonia and suffering a massive heart attack in December that placed him in the intensive care unit of UPMC Hamot in Erie, Pa. Despite the health issues faced by the mayor, ...

Three more cases of UK strain of COVID found in state

January 9, 2021

New York state Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced that three additional cases of the UK strain of the COVID-19 virus have been identified in New York. Two of the cases are connected to the initial discovery of the UK strain identified in Saratoga Springs last week, while a third case, unrelated to the Saratoga Springs exposures, has been traced back to an individual living in Massapequa, Nassau County. The cases were sequenced through Department of Health's Wadsworth laboratory which has analyzed more than 2,200 viral sequences as part of the state's UK strain testing program. "The ...

54 new COVID-19 cases announced in Cattaraugus County

January 9, 2021

Cattaraugus County is nearing 3,000 COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic in March. On Saturday, the Health Department announced 54 new cases bringing the total number of cases at 54. There has been a total of 2,985 cases with 554 active. Forty-one are hospitalized and 2,370 have recovered. The county announced its 61st death on Friday. He was a 52-year-old male who developed respiratory failure. Chautauqua County does not update its COVID numbers during the weekend or holidays.

COVID-19 rise impacting Dunkirk facility

January 8, 2021

COVID-19 numbers are starting to become alarming at the Chautauqua Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Dunkirk. According to a facility spokeswoman, there have been 34 positive tests involving employees while 40 of the residents are also battling the infection over the last two weeks. “The safety and health of Chautauqua Nursing and Rehabilitation Center residents and staff is, and always has been, of paramount importance,” said Dawn M. Harsch, director of corporate communications for VestraCare, which owns the facility. “Throughout the pandemic, we have maintained open channels ...

COVID-19 claims 8 lives in Chautauqua and Cattaraugus counties

January 8, 2021

While much of the nation has been focused on the armed protesters that broke into the U.S. Capitol Wednesday, the coronavirus continued its deadly ways. Another fatality from COVID-19 was reported by the Chautauqua County Health Department and seven more were reported in Cattaraugus County. In Chautauqua County, this makes 12 deaths in the last nine days, bringing the total to 40. The newest death, according to local data, appears to be an individual in their 80s. Of the seven deaths reported by the Cattaraugus County Health Department, three were females and four were males. The ...