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IN ONE WEEK WHITE PLAINS HOSPITAL EXPERIENCES 59 ADMISSIONS (81%)OF 72 ADMITTED ALSO HAVE COVID

WPCNR COVID SURVEILLANCE. Statistics from NY COVID TRACKER. Observations & Analysis By John F. Bailey. August 21, 2023.

Last week ended Saturday August 19 was the sixth week in a row that new covid cases in Westchester rose. A total of 451 new covid cases were reported by the New York State Health Department this morning through Saturday.

The county averaged 7.5 new  cases a day for those 7 days per 100,000 of population. Westchester has 1,004,000 people. Multiply 7.5 by 10.004  and we find the county saw  75 new cases a day (lab-verified).

That is a new case  growth last week of 527 a week, or 2, 108 for the month of August pace.  So far in August, Westchester has seen 1,313 new cases of covid. In three weeks This means 423 new cases in the first week of August have spread covid to  at least 3 other persons.

Covid testing labs have done 3,874 tests of persons seeking lab confirmation of their covid positives. That means the county is only doing about 553 lab confirmation tests a day.

When you consider that Westchester has a  1,00,4,000 population and an average positive rate of lab covid tests conducted last week of 10.9%,, I believe this means there are a lot more covid positives out there socializing, going to work, going to entertainments, the beach, pools. Many of them are not practicing social distancing  or at the very least getting a lab test to confirm they are not positive, the spread of covid cases maybe 10.9% of the County population right now. Ten percent of 1,004,000 ( the county population is  100,000 people with covid.

I have pointed out before that if you were testing 2,500 to 3,000 Westchesterites a day  as the county was doing in  August 2022 a year ago this wek you might find at a 10% positive rate, that would produce 300 a day. New cases but last week we had 451 new cases. So obviously there’s a lot more “spreading” going on.

The policy of antigen home testing has created a situation where persons testing positive are not making sure or not wanting to believe they are positive for possibility of quarantining  or losing work days.

Until testing is reinstalled at restaurants, venues,  workplaces, entertainment, the disease will continue to grow. This will happen big time in September when schools reopen. Vaccinations & boosters for covid  available for students age appropriate  must be brought up to date otherwise with August 2023 on track to deliver a possible 2,108 new cases for the month, and who knows how many in the school population have covid now. No one knows.

The failure to monitor and report covid cases in the schools at the beginning of the last school year that was lifted by the State Education Department was not wise.

All school districts are in the dark as to what they can expect by the little reported rise in covid over the last 6 weeks.

Last September in 2022, in Westchester County, 3,546 covid cases reported in September, after covid vaccinations had reduced cases last August by 40% to 6,325 from 10,398 in July 22

What will the cases run this September?, I believe we are in for a very unhealthy situation. It is imperative testing resume in the schools as a precautionary measure to prevent spreading of covid because of the rise infections obvious in August which may  be possibly disasterously undercounted by state policy towards the disease.

How bad is the spread? People are not afraid of it or being careful.

Another factor, the midweek number of positives is growing strong.

Last week in the County the numbers Sunday through Saturday mounted in midweek. Sunday (40)  Monday(78), Tuesday (86), Wednesday (92–highest single day since med-February), Thursday (69), Friday (89) and Saturday (60)

White Plains Hospital Medical Center last week of 75 persons admitted to beds in White Plains Hospital,it was found 81% had covid in addition to the condition they were admitted.