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WPCNR COVID MONITOR. News and Analysis By John F. Bailey. January 18, 2022 UPDATED JANUARY 19, 2022:

County Executive George Latimer today in his weekly covid briefing said hospitalizations in Westchester County had decreased from 677 last Wednesday to 613, Monday.

This is a hospitalization rate of 2.4% of the 25,294 infected with covid from January 2 to 9th.

The number of persons testing positive for Covid Monday in Westchester continued to lower Monday, the 17th to 821, the lowest number of infections since December 12 when 292 persons tested positive, continuing 9 consecutive days of sharply reduced infections from the 3,000 infections a day level the county had seen since December 26. Mid-Hudson Region infections also dropped.

The Mid-Hudson counties, including Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Dutchess, Ulster, Sullivan and Putnam total new infections numbered 2,726 a drop of 54% since Friday when infections for the reason, numbered 5,980.

“I’m proud of the work New Yorkers have been putting in to keep the numbers down and protect our vulnerable loved ones,” Governor Hochul said. “While we are continuing to see promising trends, we are not through the winter surge yet and it is critical that we continue to use the tools that will help stop the spread. Our best weapon is the vaccine, so if you haven’t, get your shot today and make sure you get your second dose and booster as well.”

Mr. Latimer began the briefing in a confident mood, reporting the number of cases of persons with covid in the county had declined, and continued to appear to be “in diminution.”

Though there is no specific timetable to say which weekly cohort of covid positive persons automatically gets sick to the point where they have to be hospitalized within the 14-day gestation period of the disease, the lowering of hospitalizations means that those 25,000 testing positive from January 2 to 9 have so far after 14 days have not exploded the number of hospitalizations in Westchester to the degree they could have had there not been a vaccine.

From January 10 when the hospitalizations stood at 624, three days later on January 12, Latimer said they had gone up to 677.

Today showed a reduction of hospitalizations to 613. Dividing 613 by 25,294 gives you a percentage of hospitalized of that 25,294 of 2.4%.

This would indicate more evidence that the 72% fully vaccinated population of Westchester County and those with at least 1 shot (92%) even if they get the virus, the vaccine in them is limiting the violence of the infection, to the point they do not have to go into the hospital.

The vaccines are obviously demonstrating lethal effectiveness against the virus at the highest number of infections Westchester has ever seen.

What is missing is a definition of what  the number of hospitalizations actually tells us.

It needs to be broken into categories of vaccine and no vaccine demographics.

Latimer said he is waiting for the breakdown of County hospitalizations into categories of how many were vaccinated with 1 shot, 2 shots, or 3 shots, or no vaccinations at all and by age. As reported previously by Governor Hochul 90% of persons being hospitalized are not vaccinated.

It would also be helpful in this reporter’s opinion since Westchester is still spreading the disease (although bringing down the new infections dramatically last week) to know how many were discharged from hospital, how many new came in and the total number hospitalizaed each week, and an average stay.

Just knowing the hospitalization number for one day a  week doesn’t tell you really what the total of hospitalizations are from a week of newly infected people on a cumulative basis.

They have a miraculous data program in the state compiling these statistics and should with a press of a button and searches by dates and length of stays, you could do that. 

But you get the point. Right now you do not know of the 613 hospitalizations whether they are all new, part of last week’s infections or “just in.”

The cumulative spread of serious covid infections would give the county and the state more confidence that the covid-19 and its gang of variants is being rounded up, or just in abandoned line shacks for awhile.

County Executive  Latimer encouraged Westchester to continue to get vaccinated and pointed out you are not fully vaccinated without a third covid shot.

Week by week in view of the unprecedented number of new cases, if we did not have the vaccine this county and the rest of New York would be a state of very sick people.

Residents needing tests who have symptoms are urged to scheduled tests at the Westchester County Center, by going to the Westchester Health Department website and to schedule an appointment for the vaccine at the County