WHITE PLAINS WESTCHESTER DAILY NEWS SERVICE VISITS SINCE 2000 A.D. 25TH YEARl REPORTING THE NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW News Service Since 2000 A.D. 2026 WILL BE OUR 26TH YEAR OF COVERING WHITE PLAINS NEW YORK USA . John F. Bailey, Editor (914) 997-1607 wpcnr@aol.com Cell: 914-673-4054. News Politics Personalities Neighborhoods Schools Finance Real Estate Commentary Reviews Policy Correspondence Poetry Philosophy Photojournalism Arts. The WHITE PLAINS CITIZENETREPORTER. TELEVISION: "White Plains Week" News Roundup, 7:30 EDT FRI, 7 EDT MON & the incisive "People to Be Heard" Interview Program 8PM EDT THURS, 7 PM EDT SAT on FIOS CH 45 THROUGHOUT WESTCHESTER AND, ALTICE OPTIMUM WHITE PLAINS CH 1300 Fighting for Truth, Justice and the American Way. TOP 10 VISITORS FROM AROUND THE WORLD :1. USA. 2.BRAZIL3.VIET NAM 4. CHINA 5. JAPAN 6.UK. 7.CANADA. 8.INDIA. 9.AUSTRALIA 10.IRELAND 11.GERMANY 12..ARGENTINA 13.BANGLADESH 14.RUSSIA. 15.NEWZEALAND. 16. FRANCE. 17.MEXICO. 18.UKRAINE. 19.SOUTH AFVRICA. 20. IRAQ.
Health policy experts call for confronting anti-vaccine activism with life-saving counter narratives
In The Lancet, health experts demand immediate public outreach to save lives
WPCNR CORONAVIRUS SURVEILLANCE,FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, RIVERSIDE. March 3, 2023:
Public and private sector health officials and public policymakers should team up immediately with community leaders to more effectively disseminate accurate narratives regarding the life-saving benefits of vaccines to counter widespread, harmful misinformation from anti-vaccine activists.
Such is the message of a UC Riverside-led Viewpoint piece published Thursday, March 2, in the leading international medical journal, The Lancet.
“We need to consistently amplify the best science and find the best ways of communicating so that people are hearing it through multiple channels instead of through one or two sources,” said Richard M. Carpiano, lead author on the paper and a public policy professor at UCR.
“This is a matter of life and death. People don’t always see it that way,” he added. “We’ve forgotten how many people have died, have been sick, or continue to get sick from COVID-19 as well as many other vaccine-preventable diseases.”
The paper comes out just after California marked the grim milestone of more than 100,000 COVID-19 deaths.
Nationally, more than 1.1 million people have died, and the worldwide toll is estimated at 6.8 million.
The disease continues to spread as vaccines have been found to greatly reduce illnesses that require hospitalization or result in death.
Carpiano and 20 leading public health experts describe in The Lancet paper a perfect storm that still allows anti-vaccine activism, once a fringe subculture, to become a well-organized form of right-wing identity with narratives that associate refusing vaccines with personal liberty.
This narrative was consistently repeated and amplified by social media influencers, pro-Donald Trump political operatives, and right-wing blogs, podcasts, and other media as the COVID-19 pandemic spread worldwide.(Click here for more information)
Call your legislator and tell them to not delay the Public Campaign Finance Program and to fully fund this program.
For decades we’ve fought against the influence of big donors in Albany.But after over two decades of grassroots organizing, campaigning and collaboration with legislative champions, we WON a statewide program that helps diminish the impact special interests have on our elections, the landmark New York State Public Campaign Finance Program.
This new program, in effect for the 2024 State Senate and Assembly elections puts the power in the hands of the people of New York.
The system helps candidates spend more time engaging with constituents and fund campaigns without depending on big donors.
It’s a small donor public matching funds system with a 12-to-1 match on the smallest contributions. The system is up and running for all candidates for State Senate and Assembly. But the rumors from the State Capitol are that incumbent legislators, afraid of competition, want to delay the system before it even starts by not funding it with the necessary $100 Million in the state budget due April 1st.
Meanwhile a poll released Monday showed that 70% of New York voters want elected officials to prioritize countering wealthy donors’ influence in politics.
In every region of New York State, the majority of voters said they support the state’s public campaign financing program. And 62% of New York voters say lawmakers must give the state’s public campaign financing program sufficient funding.
Call your State Senator and Assemblymember TODAY and tell them to fund the Public Campaign Finance Program!
The Public Campaign Finance Board has requested $114.5 million in funding for FY 2024.
Governor Hochul appropriated $39.5 million in her executive budget.
Now it’s time for the legislature to fund the program in full. Our communities deserve a state government responsive to the needs of the people, not big industry donors and the wealthy elite. Together we won this system. Together we’ll make them fund it.
WPCNR LETTER FROM THE EDITOR TO NEWSREADERS AROUND WORLD.March 1, 2023:
The queue of stories on the White Plains CitizeNetReporter news website has been backing up like the Cross Westchester Slow Expressway.
When WPCNR readers are coming back 3 times a day you have been forced of late to scroll down the central column of wpcnr.com “News Ticker,” to get to stories you may want to read about after seeing them in the previous orange headline section above.
Previously the orange headline section has just listed the headlines of stories on the site. When you clicked on them, nothing happened.
Now with Bulletins: Click Headline. Go Direct to StoryNEWS HAPPENS INSTANTLY!
Scroll No longer!
Those headlines are now live! In 2 seconds, you bring up the new “Breaking News” you love WPCNR for, faster than a speeding bullet!
Here’s how it works! It takes 3 seconds.
Strategically move your cursor into the orange BULLETINS: CLICK HEADLINE. GO DIRECT TO STORY.
Position cursor on headline that grabs you.
Headline LIGHTS up in brighter orange!
CLICK THE LIT UP HEADLINE!
The entire story APPEARS INSTANTLY IN THE CENTRAL COLUMN of the site in big type with all the graphics, charts, and WPCNR inclusive behind-the-story detail you go to wpcnr for.
Absolutely no tedious scrolling down the running WPCNR “TICKER”.
If one of those Bulletins grabs you –jump on it with your cursor click it and you got it in its entirety INSTANTLY
The stories are listed in chronological order. Each headline may stay up for a week
Readers can still see a list of the most recent published stories on the section of the familiar gray column listing this week’s news stories and the stories of previous months.
New stories will continue to be posted in the center-of-wpcnr site “news ticker.”
The Newsroom of days gone by with the old Teletype machines
This format was originally intended as an ode to the traditional United Press International and Associated Press and International news tickers and that clacked away night and day in a never-ending stream of stories from around the world on yellow copy paper.
Let me know if you are happy with BULLETINS: CLICK HEADLINE GO DIRECT TO STORY
It’s more than a just a listing it is the NEWS HEARTBEAT.
9 PM LAST NIGHT FEBRUARY SNOWPRIZE. SNOW FELL THROUGHOUT THE WINDY FREEZING NIGHT LEAVING 5-1/2 INCHES WITH A SLUSH BASE RESULTING IN SCHOOLS CLOSING AND ANOTHER SPLENDID SNOW PERFORMANCE BY THE DEPENDABLE DPW IN THE FAR REACHES OF WHITE PLAINS NY USA
6:45 A.M. LAST MORNING OF FEBRUARY THIS MORNING — A SUPERB STRATEGIC CONSISTENT SNOW REMOVAL IN THE FARFLUNG REACHES OF WHITE PLAINS BY THE WHITE PLAINS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC MIRACLE WORKSTHE WPDPW SNOW SWEEP TEAM IN ACTION 7 A.M. THIS MORNING–A TIP OF THE FEDORA TO THOSE WHO CLEAR BY NIGHT. A NEW SNOWTINI OF SALT WATER REINFORCED BY SAND DELIVERED A CLASSIC TWIST ON “THE NICOLETTINI” OF THE PAST CREATING CLEARER ROADS FASTER!MY CONGRATULATIONS TO THE WHITE PLAINS DPW SNOWTINI SNOWTENDERS.THEY STAND AND WAIT FOR THE WHITE TO FALL, ALWAYS PREPARED. READY. RELENTLESSREADY FOR THE COMMUTE–7:45 A.M. IN WHITE PLAINS NY USA. THANK YOU! DPW
LOWER TESTING CREATES LOWER COVID POSITIVES. COMFORTS A PUBLIC EAGER FOR PANDEMIC TO BE OVER. COVID SITUATION UNEASY. WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH INFORMATION. WE NEED MORE NOT LESS.AND NOT NONE.
NY METROPOLITAN AREA NUMBERS FOR COVID FRIDAY:
WPCNR CORONAVIRUS SURVEILLANCE. Statistics from NY Covid Tracker. Observation & Analysis by John F. Bailey. February 27, 2023:
Westchester County lowered new cases of covid to 497 through Friday.
The county is on track to finish approximately 570 new persons testing positive for covid (Lab-Verified) the week of February 19 through 25. The figure would be about 70 less than last week’s total of new positives (642).
THE WPCNR COVID WESTCHESTER LOG FOR FEBRUARY: CURRENT INFECTIONS IN WESTCHESTER AWAITING SATURDAY RESULTS: 479
The 570 total would mark the 9th straight week Westchester new cases have declined.
In the Mid-Hudson Region of Westchester, Orange, Rockland Dutchess, Ulster, Putnam and Dutchess have reported 986 cases (197 A DAY) for 5 of the 6 days. Nassau and Suffolk Counties however reported 1087 new cases, an average of 217 a day.
The cases across the region of all 9 counties continue to run almost 70% of all of New York City pace of covid, that Friday was 578 new cases for all 5 boroughs, compared to the 9 county total of 392 (68% of the NYC-resident nubers).
Friday (one single day), the Mid Hudson Region reported that 5,061 Lab Tested persons were tested and 167 were positive a 3% infection rate of those tested. This 3% rate still means, though lowering, the region still contributes 200 persons a day in new positive cases, about 1,400 new positives a week. I believe this indicates quite a lag between total new cases for a week as reported by the number of infections a day per 100,000 of population.
In the Mid-Hudson region for 5 days last week, the daily new cases per 100,000 average over the 9 counties was 7.4 new cases per 100,000 of population.
The population of the 7 counties is the Mid-Hudson region is 2,232,635. That means there are 22.33 — 100,000 sections in the Mid-Hudson region.
Multiply the Mid-Hudson region 7.4 average new cases a day by 22.3 you get in reality 172 new cases a day, 1,203 new cases a week and 4,815 new cases a day a month. From February 1 through February 24, the Mid-Hudson County through 18 days reported 4,479 cases. The daily average when computed to the accurate total of population segments is definitely lower than the actual number of infections for the DAY AND month.
This situation I think is caused by a lag in lab-verified tests of persons finally deciding to get tested by a lab after testing positive taking an antigen test.
The state policy reporting the daily average new infections a day per county produces less anxiety by presenting the information to the average reader giving a false sense that you and me as a region are doing ok.
We are not O.K.–
If you present the daily average infection rate as the number per 100K of population without stating the total population of the county reported.
The reality of 172 cases a day for all 7 counties the last week is a much stronger spread of the disease than the grid would indicate per day day — presents.
Thank you for making us feel better, New York State by presenting the misleading average daily numbers in terms 100k of the actual counties instead of the total of the 100,000 segments each county has.
When Westchester reports Friday the county had 6.1 cases per 100,000 of population that sounds much better than printing 61. What do you think?
On Long Island, the Nassau and Suffolk Counties, (for weeks, the leaders in new covid cases with 300 to 600 new infections weekly than the Mid-Hudson region the effects of covid) are this:
Those two counties have 2, 900,000 in population. The last three weeks of February the counties onLong Island averaged 21.4 daily average infections. They have 29 segments of 100,000 population.
Multiplying 29 times 21.4 infections daily per 100,000 population produces 620 infections a day, 4,340 infections a week, 28,000 a month. You see the lag effect there.
The “Happy Stats” of not presenting the real-time situation, the accumulative affect and projecting what it means in 4 weeks time may get the economy going, but it makes me uneasy of what a “Comfy with Covid” could mean.
New York City reported 26,000 lab-verified tests Friday. Of those persons tested, 3% tested positive or 578.
New York City reports 8,804,000 in population . That is 88.04 segments of 100,000 persons. This means that NYC (all 5 boroughs) is possibly seeing 50,000 new infections a day.. 350,000 in a week and 1,400,000 in a month.
But you don’t know if this nightmare progression is possible unless you test more and zero in on the exact numbers. The current stats do not project ahead!
At 3% positive testing trends, on 25.000 lab-verified tests daily this computes to 203,548 covid positives in a month, not 1,400,000.
That is still a lot of “walking covid.”
Walking, mingling, infecting covid making persons miserable when they were thinkin “It is OK now.”
But we do not know if this progression comes true or not—but the new variant is spreading faster according to observing epidemioligists. One million with covid is not what you want in New York City. 200,000 is not what you want.
You do not want to get covid. The hospitals as filled as they are with covid patients and flu patients that we hear from anecdotal sources. and the casual mention of it in the media.
What I surmise is that at the current 3% infection rate on 25,000 New York City Lab-Tests, each infected person infects 6 persons each. So those 578 infections this week in NYC could infect 3,468 persons in shorter than two weeks time.
What this says to me, is health officials must provide more explicit information. No matter if it is bad news and hurts business.
More testing must be done before infected people with covid escalate cases to unmanageable levels, and more medicine is needed in exponential quantities that we cannot get.
Are we controlling the disease or aren’t we? What is control? How adequate are our health resources right now? We need the thinking the Governor Andrew Cuomo brought to supplying information. Detailed, “lift-you-out-of-your-chair ready to change your behavior”
No one is writing about this. No one is thinking about this at the state level.
Not knowing the real situation or worse, ignoring it, and not wanting to know guarantees the disease covid will have its way.
MTA CHAIR AND CEO LIEBER CELEBRATE START OF FULL-SCALE LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD SERVICE TO GRAND CENTRAL MADISON BEGINNING MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27
Senate Majority Leader Schumer Joins Governor Hochul and MTA Chair and CEO Lieber at Ceremony at Grand Central Madison
New LIRR Timetables begin. Increase Weekday Service by 41 Percent
Largest LIRR Service Expansion with Trains Arriving/Departing Manhattan Terminals Every Three Minutes During Peak Periods
Combo Ticket Available with Implementation of New Schedules
Schedules Available via TrainTime App and on MTA Website
Governor Kathy Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer and MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber, along with federal and local elected officials Sunday celebrated the official opening of Grand Central Madison with full Long Island Rail Road service beginning today February 27.
To see an adjustable view of the this MTA MAP of the New LIRR Grand Central Madison wing go to https://new.mta.info/map/24956
The new schedules provide increased service levels by a historic 41 percent and offer direct access to Midtown east, the biggest job hub in the country, provide more frequent, reliable service, including in Queens and Brooklyn, and true reverse-peak service on the Port Jefferson and Ronkonkoma Branches for the first time.
With implementation of the new schedules, there will be more than 500 additional station stops in Brooklyn and Queens and during the peak period, an LIRR train into Penn Station or Grand Central every 3 to 6 minutes and service to Atlantic Terminal approximately every 12 minutes. Grand Central Madison is the first major new rail terminal to open in the United States in 67 years and the first extension of the LIRR in 112 years, since service began to Penn Station in 1910.
The new schedules provide rush-hour through-service to Brooklyn from Freeport, Hempstead and West Hempstead. The MTA encourages all riders to consult the new schedules before traveling via the highly rated TrainTime app or at mta.info, where users can find pdf timetables.
The Combo Ticket
The beginning of service now enables the possibility of transferring directly between the LIRR and Metro-North Railroad. To provide a seamless connection between the systems, the MTA has introduced the “Combo Ticket” – a single ticket that enables customers to travel between Long Island, Manhattan’s northern suburbs and Connecticut all with one fare.
The Combo Ticket enables riders to buy a LIRR ticket in Huntington for a trip to White Plains or a Metro-North ticket in Poughkeepsie for a trip to Montauk. Riders choose their origin station with Grand Central as their destination and pay the regular fare plus a flat rate of eight dollars for a continuing trip to any destination on the other railroad. For more on the combo ticket, visit https://new.mta.info/fares/combo-ticket.
“Grand Central Madison is a public transportation feat that will shorten commutes, giving commuters time back in their busy lives to spend with their families, friends and communities,” Governor Hochul said. “Grand Central Madison will dramatically expand service and operate more reliably for commuters and reduce overcrowding at Penn Station. Thanks to our continued partnership with Senator Schumer and the New York Congressional delegation, wewill continue building safe and efficient public transportation worthy of New Yorkers.”
The new schedules add 271 LIRR trains per day and increase LIRR systemwide service to 936 trains per day, of which 296 will be to or from Grand Central Madison.
The Grand Central Madison project, funded in part by USDOT, follows two other significant LIRR capital projects: the Double Track Project, which installed a second track for 13 miles between Farmingdale and Ronkonkoma; and the Third Track Project, which installed a 9.8-mile third track between Floral Park and Hicksville. These once-in-a-generation investments alleviated certain capacity constraints, enabling the railroad to increase service and comprehensively rewrite the schedules for the first time in decades.
Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer said, “We are here today because the East Side Access train is quite literally about to leave the station — Hallelujah. Tens-of-thousands of transit riders can now breathe a sigh of relief. Thousands and thousands who work on the East side finally get the convenience they’ve craved. Look, I’ve been here for so much of the East Side Access journey — all $2.7 Billion of it. That’s how much I got the feds to kick in here. We all know how difficult it is to secure transit funding — for the country and for NY. Coupled with the other transit projects like Gateway, the NY transit gem is gearing up to shine like the top of the Chrysler building, and it is about time. I thank Governor Hochul, the MTA and everyone else who helped make transit history today.”
MTA Chair and CEO JannoLieber said, “Faster service and more trains will help bring the heart of New York City closer to Long Islanders and Queens residents, and the surge in reverse commuting will be a shot in the arm for Long Island employers looking to access a bigger talent pool. It’s a win-win.”
Interim President of the Long Island Rail Road and President of Metro-North Railroad Catherine Rinaldi said, “LIRR is thrilled to be offering more frequent service and more flexibility to our customers. Grand Central Madison also provides connectivity between LIRR and Metro-North for the very first time, opening up a new era of regional rail travel for customers of both railroads.”
The new schedules provide rush-hour through-service to Brooklyn from Freeport, Hempstead and West Hempstead. The MTA encourages all riders to consult the new schedules before traveling via the highly rated TrainTime app or at mta.info, where users can find pdf timetables.
More on Recent Long Island Rail Road Improvements
Grand Central Madison, Double Track, and Main Line Third Track are part of an unprecedented $17.7 billion investment to transform and modernize the Long Island Rail Road with 100 projects throughout the system including construction of a more spacious LIRR Concourse at Penn Station with a new entrance at 33rd Street and Seventh Avenue, renewal and upgrading of 36 stations and 17 bridges, elimination of eight at-grade railroad crossings, activation of the Positive Train Control safety system, upgrades to 15 electrical substations, parking capacity increases, and yard expansions.
Additionally, following the opening of Moynihan Train Hall in 2021, the MTA, together with Empire State Development, NJ Transit and Amtrak, is transforming Penn Station into a world-class, single-level terminal with abundant natural light, high ceilings, and enhanced wayfinding.
MAYORS & PLANNERS MUST SEE TV — THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE WANTS TO HELP YOU BRING BACK YOUR DOWNTOWNS–SEE ALL ABOUT IT!
COUNTY EXECUTIVE HIGHLIGHTS ISSUES OF THE NEW NY STATE BUDGET EFFECT ON WESTCHESTER NY USAGOVERNOR KATHY “NEW YORK” HOCHUL FUNDS LAW ENFORCEMENT TO HIRE HUNDREDS OF ATTORNEYS TO SPEED EMERGENCY RISK PROTECTION ORDERS TO TAKE GUNS AWAY FROM INDIVIDUALS SEEN TO BE A THREAT TO THEMSELVES OR OTHERS–THE DETAILSCOUNTY TO TAKE UP REQUESTS FOR SCHOOL BUS CAMERAS TO CATCH CARS PASSING STOPPED SCHOOL BUSESTHE END OF COVID 19 TRACKER REPORTS? HOW TO ENFORCE MASKING–FINE VIOLATORS LIKE HONG KONG–HEADING TOWARD A 9TH CONSECUTIVE WEEK OF LOWERED CASES — BUT LOOK OUT–THE MARCH SOCIALIZING — 4 COMPLETE WEEKS OF SCHOOL, RETURN FROM VACATIONS — PARTIES, SPRING — BE WARY.THE NY STATE LEGISLATURE YOUR “FRIENDS” AREN’T EVEN THINKING ABOUT IT.
WPCNR ALBANY ROUNDS. Statement from NYS Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli on the proposed MTA FINANCIAL PLAN Budget. February 23, 2023:
New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli issued the following statement today on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)’s February Financial Plan:
“There is still a lack of clarity on how the MTA will close its $600 million deficit this year.
The agency is depending on the state for new revenue to offset ridership loss and balance its budget through 2026, but this funding is not yet assured, and savings have not been identified.
The MTA must hold up its end of the bargain and identify how it’s going to save $100 million this year, and more than $400 million annually to stay afloat and avoid impacts to services in the future.
“Steps to generate and publicize savings through efficiencies, rather than cutting services, will likely take on added importance given the current fiscal environment.
The MTA potentially faces lower-than-expected payroll mobility and real estate taxes, which could offset increased revenue from fares and tolls. Congestion pricing will also begin later than expected, hindering the MTA’s finances.
“It’s clear the MTA will need all of its funding partners to step up due to its current financial situation; however, the authority must do its part to ensure any funds provided are maximized to increase ridership and enhance operations. Reliable and safe mass transit remains essential to New York City’s economic recovery.”
11 OF 26 ADMISSIONS AT WHITE PLAINS HOSPITAL TUESDAY POSITIVE FOR COVID
WPCNR CORONA VIRUS SURVEILLANCE.Statistics from NY Covid Tracker, New York State Hospitalizations Tracker. Observation & Analysis by John F. Bailey. February 23, 2028:
Monday new cases of covid in Westchester, Orange, Rockland, Dutchess, Ulster, Putnam, Sullivan Counties and Long Island Nassau and Suffolk County exceeded the number of new daily cases in New York City for the first time during the three years of the Pandemic.
The 9 counties surrounding the 5 New York City boroughs were reported by New York Covid Tracker as having 525 new laboratory-confirmed positive covid cases Monday while all of New York City reported 519.
The nine county daily cumulative number of new cases has never exceeded a New York City daily total in the three years duration, on-going covid pandemic.
The nine counties and their governments and health officials have with a heavy reluctance to impose loose enforcement or no enforcement at all of recommended covid precautions.
This over the last two years has resulted in the 9 counties with total population of 5.1 million (60% of New York City population of 8,804,000) having new covid infections at higher and higher percentages of the 9 county infections compared to New York City populations.
The 9 counties have for two straight years failed to keep covid cases down once they had case surge under control to where a covid person would spread the disease to one or less than 1 person.
The nine counties and their villages cities and towns did not impose fines for individuals failing to mask, or organizations for failure to observe social gathering guidelines.
The New York State Education Department eliminated the requirements for schools to report students, staff and administrative infections of covid creating a lack of awareness of covid spread in the schools and school districts.
The New York State legislature by taking emergency powers away from former Governor Andrew Cuomo, and now with Governor Hochul shackled with the handcuffs prohibiting her from imposing executive orders in an emergency, the state legislature is choosing to ignore the covid spread potential.
The Big wave in covid built through the spring o 2023 when socializing and mask wearing, and vaccinations declined and the new variants of the disease started infecting.
That spring of spread in Westchester had infections started spreading slowly, accelerated in July to 10,000 in July and now has declined monthly for 6-1/2 months to last week’s low of 625.
The State Health Commissioner recently said masks were not necessary in schools.
Now with the 9 counties equaling the number of cases New York City reported Monday, we may see more spread when schools comeback in session next week. The socializing of March returns to 5 day business and school weeks.
You are on your own Westchester because now the legislature is concentrating on the state budget and not paying attention to the covid problem at all they want an economy roaring again.
Monday, 17,264 New York City (all 5 boroughs) Lab-Verified Tests were reported and 519 were found positive, 3%.
In the 9 surrounding Mid-Hudson Counties and Nassau and Suffolk Counties 12,355 Lab Verified Tests were administered and 525 tested positive, 4% Positive rate. Bear in mind there is a lag here between the day a lab test comes in and effect on future positives.
The disturbing news from Monday in the Mid-Hudson Region:
Top three counties in population in the region: Westchester County, Orange and Dutchess each doubled with infections on Monday. Westchester went from 54 Sunday to 110 infections Monday. Orange County with population of 404,525 doubled from 28 cases Sunday to 49 new cases of covid Monday . Dutchess County (population, 339,227) did double from 20 cases Sunday to 45 new cases of Covid. Westchester had 110.
Be wary.
The low amount of tests in New York City and the 9 surrounding counties suggests to me two things: the positive is that people who feel sick or take an at-home test that turns up “+” are motivated to get a lab test to see if they are really “+” positive– are coming in
The take away here is one of two things…the antigen tests are inconsistent possibly necessitating worry they have covid and they come in for a lab test to make sure they do or do not have it. Or, another possibility is the antigen positive test they may choose to ignore because they do not want to have to quarantine, or miss work, or what have you.
Right now Westchester county is coming off its lowest number of weekly positives in one year (625 last week). With infections hitting 110 Monday in Westchester, we will see how it goes the rest of this vacation week and next week to see if the vacation effect combines with the “covid is in the review mirror and happy days are here again” attitude starts another surge in cases.
The hospitalization figures for White Plains Hospital Center on February 21, Tuesday were published today.
The hospital reported to the state they had 26 admissions Tuesday February 21, and 11 of the admitted were found with covid, and 6 of those 11 were found to be tested positive after admission. The hospital reported the facility had 322 “Acute Care Beds” Staffed, and 280 of Acute Care beds were occupied (87%).
To date from the first year of the covid pandemic From January 2020 to February 21, White Plains Hospital Center has admitted 5,008 covid patients. The hospital treated and discharged 4,477 covid patients and reported 531 fatalities (11%).
