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WPCNR COVID ADVISORY. By John F. Bailey. From the New York State Covid Tracker. December 16, 2021 UPDATED 9:25 A.M.:

New York State reported Wednesday evening that Westchester County suffered 548 more persons coming down with Coronavirus Monday of 9,448 tested giving Westchester the highest county positive percentage since April 6 of 2021 when 3.6% on Saturday April 3, when 383 tested positive pf 10,500 tested.

The number of positives is also 50% of the highest number of Westchester positives the entire year. On January 14, two weeks after New Years Eve, 1,100 persons tested positive. One year back on December 13 as the chart below shows, 594 persons tested positive and two weeks later started a spike in infections to the highest positives in one day all year:1,100.

Covid was spreading unstopped throughout the New York Metropolitan area. The counties that are infecting the most, are not enforcing the mask-up rule, and it showsl

Orange with 276 covid positive of 3,910 tested hit a 7.1% infection. They are in serious spread. . Rockland at 194 on 9,951 tests, had the best infection rate of the 7 mid-Hudson counties with 1.9%, still spreading though. Dutchess is having big spread, 6.3% postive infection rate, 153 positive of 2,442 tested. Ulster, Putmam and Sullivan are even in infections and have small populations but Ulster is infecting at 5.5% positive and Sullivan and Putnam, over 7%.

Long Island is flooded with covid.

Nassau and Suffolk reported 2,392 infections between them. Nassau had 1,080 Monday (7.6% infection rate). Suffolk 1,312, 9.4 infection rate.

New York City has now had more positives than the 9 counties surrounding it for 5 straight days.

Two Mondays ago, Westchester reported 179 New infections. Two weeks later on December 13, there are 548 new covid cases. This means the 179 covid-afflicted persons infected 3 persons..

This could mean in 14 days from now on December 27, Westchester could see approximately 1,500 new covid-positives, easily blowing by the 1,100 single day high experienced January 14, 2021 a month earlier than last year’s “surge.”

Now if this 500 a day positive rate is sustained and stays at that level without declining dramatically– You are looking at 2,500 more infections the week between Christmas and New Years.

Persons should take it upon themselves to mask up and socially distance in social gatherings and please slow the spread. A reckless, “Anything Goes” New Years Eve and Football Bowl Day will make January, February and March infections exponentially excruciating to experience.

Hospitalizations in the county, County Executive Latimer said hit 125 as of Monday.

This means that approximately 70% of the 179 infected two weeks ago–125 persons have been hospitalized. If 548 hospitalize at the same pace, county hospitals in two weeks from Monday’s 548 covid-positive persons, 385 of them may require hospitalization (70% average rate of hospitalization, figured by dividing the current number of hospitalizations by the number infected two weeks ago.)

If we do not act responsibly the next 4 weeks, the recovery will come to a dead stop.

Without far more aggressive vaccinations to the under 12,-to-5 school population, school districts will be forced to consider shutdowns (If the unvaccinated children continue to come down with covid in high numbers..) The county has not released figures on how many school district percentages of vaccinations of students and staff.

Governor Kathy Hochul reported Monday that Westchester has only vaccinnated 2% more people with vaccines than several weeks ago.. I’m shocked. That is another statistic the county needs to get out there.

The vaccines including the booster will stop most from getting covid. The booster is needed, as County Executive Latimer pointed out. As I wrote, it is a civic duty to get vaccinated.

It is smart.

The metropolitan area is in serious covid spread.