Press release:
Both Genesee and Orleans Counties have increased to a substantial and high levels of community transmission, respectively, according to the CDC COVID Data Tracker (https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#county-view),” stated Paul Pettit, Director of the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments (GO Health). “As noted last week, we are not surprised in this increase in transmission data. We are saddened to report the COVID-related death of a Genesee County resident who was under the age of 65. To protect the privacy of the family we will not release any further information about the individual. Our deepest sympathy goes out to the family and friends of this person.”
We continue to encourage everyone to follow the public health prevention precautions as noted below. It is important for those who are not currently vaccinated to talk with their primary care provider to determine whether getting vaccinated is right for them.
There are currently no masking mandates that have been issued by either county, however, per the CDC recommendations for communities with substantial or high spread of COVID-19 we encourage everyone, vaccinated and unvaccinated, to wear masks when indoors in public and when at crowded outdoor settings.
Everyone should continue practicing the following public health prevention precautions:
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water.
- If water is not readily available, use hand sanitizer.
- Wash and sanitize frequently shared/touched items.
- Stay 6 feet away from others and avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Avoid crowds and poorly ventilated spaces.
- Wear a face mask indoors in public and crowded outdoor settings.
- Monitor your health daily and stay home if you are experiencing any symptoms.
Get tested if you are experiencing symptoms and self-isolate until you get your results back. If you test positive for COVID, you are to isolate for 10 days.
“The best way to protect yourself from COVID-19 or health complications from COVID-19 is to get vaccinated,” stated Pettit. “Now is the best time to take advantage of getting vaccinated for COVID-19 before the new school term starts and the weather changes and we start moving back indoors”.
For up to date data, GO Health updates the Emerging Issues page of the website (https://gohealthny.org/emerging-issues/) on Mondays and Thursdays and posts the data on our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages (GOHealthNY is the user name for each of these platforms) and the Genesee, Orleans, Wyoming County Health Departments COVID-19 Case and Vaccination Tracker are updated daily (https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/5f8401b0516247b490934303e3975e49/).
For those who are using home testing kits, please note that the Health Departments are unable to verify the results and will not be able to provide paperwork for your employer/insurance company. Home tests that need verification will have to complete a follow-up test with an approved provider for documentation and state reporting purposes. If you do either a home test or a test at approved provider, it is important to remember to self-isolate until you receive test results. For home testing, you are to self-isolate for a minimum of 10 days from onset of symptoms or getting your test result. Contact your primary care physician for further instructions.
