The COVID vaccine. AP photo

Forty-nine new COVID-19 cases were reported in Chautauqua County by the Health Department on Wednesday. It is the highest one-day total since Feb. 24.

Twenty-six of the new cases are from the cities of Dunkirk and Jamestown with five from Silver Creek and four in Fredonia. In all, there have been 8,621 cases with 8,267 recoveries. Thirteen are currently hospitalized with 142 active cases and a positivity rate of 2.3%.

Western New York, overall, is still struggling in terms of a recent uptick in cases. According to state figures, the seven-day positivity rate in the region is the highest at 4.73%, beating the state average of 3.05%.

“New York State is opening more vaccination sites and expanding eligibility for the vaccine to get more shots in arms, faster,” state Gov. Andrew Cuomo said. “This has been an incredibly trying time for all New Yorkers, and I know COVID fatigue is setting in, but we can’t give up fighting this virus until we reach the light at the end of the tunnel.”