The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Oneida County reports 20 new cases
UTICA, N.Y. » Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. is preparing with regional county leaders for a gradual reopening of the economy in the coming weeks, so long as the COVID-19 case numbers show promise and Gov. Andrew Cuomo can get on board.
As of late, the trend in Oneida County has been a slower rate of increase than in the last several weeks. For three days in a row, the number of new positive cases has been in the single digits. But on April 22, it was announced that 20 new pos
itive cases have been confirmed in just one day.
This recent spike goes to show that “this virus is still spreading,” Picente stated, and that promising numbers do not guarantee safety.
Unfortunately, the deaths related to COVID-19 also continue to grow, with three more reported April 21, bringing the total up to 11.
So far 313 total cases have been confirmed positive for COVID-19 throughout this crisis in Oneida County so far.
Of that number, 99 cases have resolved, meaning they’ve gotten better and are no longer in quarantine. 31 remain hospitalized at this time—27 within the county, 4 outside. Seven of the 11 deaths were in stateregulated nursing home facilities, and most individuals were reported to have underlying conditions.
Age data for reported deaths can now be found on the Oneida County COVID-19 dashboard.
There are currently a total of 911 persons under quarantine for a number of reasons; they either have the virus, are awaiting test results, or are at risk of having the virus due to a traced exposure.
To all of these quarantined individuals, whether mandatory or precautionary, Picente and Oneida County Director of Public Health Phyllis Ellis urges them to follow orders and comply with the rules as best they can.
“It’s imperative that you be monitored in order to maintain the health of this community, stop the spread of the virus, and get you back to work or normalcy as best and as soon as we can,” Picente stated.
Picente addressed a Facebook COVID-19 data map that suggested Oneida County has a higher percentage of potential cases than any other upstate county.
He criticized Facebook and its map for being misleading. The data was collected by Facebook on a voluntary basis, with participating users self-reporting their symptoms. Something else to keep in mind: just because someone has COVID-19 like symptoms, does not indicate that they, in fact, contracted the virus.
There have been a total of 1,753 negative test results for COVID-19 in Oneida County, showing that many who may think they have the virus, are not confirmed carriers.
“I do think it’s irresponsible for Facebook to use that kind of data and state that Oneida County has the highest [percentage] when quite frankly, our infection rate is down and our hospitalization rate is one of the lowest as well,” he stated.
In regards to the Facebook COVID-19 data, the company stated, “These estimates don’t represent confirmed COVID-19 cases and shouldn’t be used for diagnostic or treatment purposes, or guidance on personal or business travel. Facebook’s research partners are committed to only using survey results to study and help contain COVID-19.”
Ultimately, the Facebook map may be interesting, but should not be viewed as conclusive.
In other news, Cuomo announced April 21 that a regional approach to reopening New York will be the best course of action moving forward. Picente was pleased to hear this news, stating, “I think working with our neighboring counties is the way to go. I’m glad the governor understands that and embraced that.”
However, the following day, Cuomo made statements that Picente didn’t feel were appropriate or in cooperation with local leaders’ efforts.
Picente noted, in particular, the governor’s negative sentiment to local officials, in which Cuomo said, “Now’s not the time to act stupidly” by opening up too quickly. Cuomo also stated, “[Local officials] feel political pressure to open.”
Picente responded, “I didn’t appreciate the [governor’s] patronizing tone today. It’s not about political pressure; it’s about doing the job we were elected to do.” He continued, “We aren’t going to do anything that’s going to endanger our public.”
Some media officials have suggested that Cuomo’s remarks were more-so directed to national leaders, not local leaders, who show greater enthusiasm about opening up.
Regardless, Picente is standing firm on coordinating a detailed, datadriven, regional approach to prepare Oneida and other counties for the future, and he hopes the governor can get behind these elected leaders. “We are simply looking for cooperation,” he stated. Additionally, he emphasized that no regional action will be taken until the governor gives his approval.
Local officials know their communities best, Picente said, and they are working to meet the same goal; saving lives. He shared that he and six other county leaders met on a conference call Tuesday to get the ball rolling in terms of uplifting restrictions on a coherent timeline.
Most importantly, Picente said, is that this regional plan will be “driven by the right data,” and will be coordinated with health officials, business leaders, and others to ensure things are opened safely and effectively.
Though COVID-19 seems to be winding down both in the area and in the state overall, Picente said, “It’s still not enough to let up our guard.”
However, Picente believes there’s room moving forward for opening certain business sectors under restrictive protocols.
Along the same lines, Cuomo announced elective outpatient treatments can resume in counties and hospitals without significant risk of COVID-19 surge in the near term.
Picente said he is hopeful that the county’s hospitals will get a boost from this, and that more business activities can be phased in ahead of May 15, such as reopening medical offices.
The fate of schools reopening this year, however, seems doubtful. Cuomo has shown no sign of planning to reopen them soon, Picente shared, and he agrees that right now is not the right time for schools to reopen either.
Nothing has been set in stone, but as of right now, it’s likely that classrooms won’t be open again until the fall. More direction needs to come from the state, Picente said.
In addition to his conference call, Picente noted the success of the Oneida County Town Hall held via live stream on Tuesday.
One matter that he wanted to address was the issue of campgrounds remaining closed and residents wanting to be able to camp. He said while he understands that “getting back to normal” is what everybody wants right now, as does he, he has to look at the “big picture” and how that plays into protecting the public and saving lives.
He assured residents that the dates that are set right now for keeping businesses closed can change, in time, as the circumstances allow more flexibility. As for right now, campgrounds will remain closed as well as other public areas until it is safe to do so, he stated. He asks for everyone’s continued patience and to understand that things will open up gradually as they’re able.
Picente announced another potential public exposure that residents should be aware of. A pharmacy tech at the Walgreens located at 1616 Black River Blvd. in Rome, tested positive for COVID-19 on April 17 and results were received by the Health Department on April 21.
This individual worked 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 12 and April 13 behind a Plexiglas barrier and wore a mask and gloves. There was no instore customer contact. Officials said risk to the public is low. Anyone who was in the store on April 12 should monitor themselves for symptoms through April 26 and anyone who was there on April 13 should monitor until April 27. Please contact your health care provider if symptoms develop. You do not have to automatically self-quarantine.
In addition to this public concern, the Sheriff’s Office daily spot checks and followups are continuing with local businesses to ensure they are acting in compliance with COVID-19 protocols. Seven formal warnings are scheduled to be issued by the end of this week, being sent out to six bar/restaurants and one non-alcoholic cafe. 13 total warnings have been issued to date. The number of retail social distancing and mask policy violations are also significant, Picente stated. Currently, the Sheriff’s Office is making some educational phone calls to those businesses in an attempt to get them into compliance. In other news, the Mohawk Valley COVID-19 Response Fund has reportedly distributed over $400,000 to 26 organizations in need. Additionally, the mask-buying consortium coordinated by Mohawk Valley EDGE is reported to have nearly 150 businesses wanting to participate, collectively needing to purchase over 100,000 masks. There has been no report that the state-run antibody testing has continued in Oneida County. However, COVID-19 testing remains available at Rite Aid in New Hartford. Pre-registering online and meeting the listed criteria is required to receive testing, which is administered at no cost to the recipient. More COVID-19 resources and information can be found on Oneida County’s website. Case statistics are posted daily on their online dashboard.