June 21 update from Health Department on COVID-19 cases – 14850 - Highlight News Today

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Tuesday, June 21, 2022

June 21 update from Health Department on COVID-19 cases – 14850

The Tompkins County Health Department says there have now been 22,301 total positive cases in Tompkins County, 79 more than on Friday, and a total of 1,915,368 tests conducted. The Health Department is also now reporting positive self-test results that have been submitted through their online portal. They say there are 26 new positive self-test results for a total of 3,113 submitted. There was no Health Department update on Monday due to the Juneteenth holiday.

Related: TCHD: If you test positive on an at-home test

As of Friday at 7:45am, the Health Department says 220 tests were conducted in the previous day. The Tompkins County Health Department publishes NYS vaccine tracking info, showing 86,302 Tompkins County residents have a first dose and 78,907 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 no one is currently hospitalized for COVID-19, three fewer than in Friday’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.

“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: Juneteenth Health Fair will include Moderna booster clinic

There have been 63 deaths from COVID-19 recorded among Tompkins County residents, including the death of an area resident reported in mid June.

On June 19, Cornell University reported 19 active student cases and 34 active faculty and staff cases. Cornell has switched to weekly updates, and the timing of their updates doesn’t allow a direct comparison to the county’s statistics.

As of June 20, Ithaca College reported 1 active student case, with 590 recovered, and 2 active employee cases and 255 recovered employees.

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.

Related: BA.2 variant likely, but not confirmed, among “ebbs and flows” of Tompkins cases, says Health Department

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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Related: Coronavirus coverage in 14850 Today



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