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“ 17 DEGREES AND SUNNY AT WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER. FIRST CONGRATULATIONS TO YOU DENNIS AND TONNY ON 2-1/2 YEARS ON THE NUMBER 1 LOCAL MORNING MAN AND WOMAN IN WESTCHESTER. IT IS A GREAT ACHIEVEMENT, GOOD MORNING WESTCHESTER HAS THE UPBEAT BANTER AND PACE THAT GETS WESTCHESTER GOING AND IN A GOOD MOOD NO MATTER HOW BAD THE NEWS IS.

WHITE PLAINS WAS SURPRISED SUNDAY NIGHT WHEN SUPERINTENDENT OF SCHOOLS DR. JOSEPH RICCA ADDRESSED THE WHITE PLAINS SCHOOL DISTRICT FROM HIS HOME ON FACE BOOK TELLING PARENTS WHAT THEY COULD EXPECT WHEN THEY SENT THEIR CHILDREN BACK TO WHITE PLAINS SCHOOLS MONDAY.

HE STARTED BY THANKING ALL TEACHERS, ADMINISTRATORS PARENTS, ASSISTANTS, STAFF FOR WORKING TIRELESSLY TO PREPARE AN IN SCHOOL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT THAT HAS WORKED THE FIRST 4-1/2 MONTHS OF SCHOOL.  160  STUDENTS, TEACHERS AND ADMINISTRATORS IN TOTAL HAVE BEEN DIAGNOSED WITH COVID SINCE SCHOOL STARTED SEPTEMBER 9. THAT IS 2% OF THE 8,400 STUDENTS AND SCHOOL DISTRICT STAFF.

HE SAID PARENTS AND CARETAKERS IF THEY WANT THEIR STUDENTS TESTED IN SCHOOL MUST CONTACT THE DISTRICT, HE HAS SENT THEM EMAILS TO TELL THEM OF THIS VOLUNTARY PROGRAM. HE IS ALSO WORKING TOO WITH THE HELP OF THE COUNTY TO IMPLEMENT THE TEST AND STAY PROGRAM IF A CHILD OR A CLASS CAME IN CONTACT WITH A STUDENT TESTING POSITIVE. THEY ARE URGED TO RESPOND VIA THE EMAIL THEY WERE SENT OR CONTACT THEIR CHILD’S SCHOOL PRINCIPAL.

HE SAID THERE IS NO OPTION FOR REMOTE LEARNING AT THIS TIME, BUT SHOULD INFECTIONS RISE, THE DISTRICT CAN PIVOT TO  REMOTE LEARNING IF NECESSARY. LATE YESTERDAY FIRST DAY OF  BACK-TO-SCHOOL WAS GOING WELL IN WHITE PLAINS.

WE HAVE GOOD NEWS IN COVID SPREAD. WESTCHESTER DROPPED IN COVID INFECTIONS 2 STRAIGHT DAYS. THROUGH THE 6 DAYS OF THE HOLIDAY WEEK THROUGH NEW YEARS EVE THE COUNTY RECORDED 23,

WESTCHESTER DECEMBER 31 POSITIVE CASES, DOWN 1,065 CASES FROM PREVIOUS DAY, DECEMBER 30.

The Omicron variant comprised 90% of uploaded sequences from NYS between 12/20/21 and 1/2/22.

Westchester County new positives on Friday numbered 2,242 of 9,608 tested, still 23% of those tested, but 758 below the 3,000 a day level on each of the last 5 days of 2021.

WITH HOSPITALIZATIONS UP TO 444 (COMPARED TO 124 LAST WEEK, AS GEORGE LATIMER STATED THIS MORNING EARLIER ON WVOX, THIS MEANS THE PEOPLE GETTING THE DISEASE MAY BE GETTING SICKER.

THERE WERE 23,327 NEW CASES THROUGH DECEMBER 26 THROUGH DECEMBER 31. THEY COULD INFECT 28,000  PEOPLE AT A 1 PERSON SPREADING IT TO 2 PERSONS RATE. 

INFECTIONS 2 WEEKS AGO DECEMBER 12 TO 18 WERE 5,377. DIVIDING THE 444 HOSPITALIZATIONS THIS WEEK BY 5,377 GIVES YOU A HOSPITALIZATION PERCENTAGE OF 8.3% OF THOSE COVID INFECTED PERSONS TWO WEEKS AGO BEING HOSPITALIZED.

AT A 8.3% HOSPITALIZATION RATE, THE 23,327 INFECTED THROUGH LAST FRIDAY FROM DECEMBER 26 THROUGH NEW YEARS EVE MAY PRODUCE  2,000 NEW HOSPITALIZATIONS BY THE SECOND WEEK IN JANUARY.

 SO WE NEED TO KEEP MASKING AND BEING CAREFUL. THE 23,000 NEW INFECTIONS THIS WEEK COULD MEAN THOUSANDS OF NEW PERSONS BEING HOSPITALIZED IF THE VICTIMS OF COVID LAST WEEK ARE SICKER BECAUSE MOST ARE NOT VACCINATED.”