2,905,611 VISITORS VISIT 8,324,077 TIMES 3 TIMES EVERY DAY IN ONE YEAR. HIGHEST ACTIVITY IN WPCNR HISTORY.White PlainsCitizeNetReporter lifted its worldwide visits from unique visitors to wpcnr.com to 8,324,077,a 1,306,419 increase in visits in one year from 7,017,658 visits to the site last year which covers White Plains and Westchester County. The 8,324,077 visits were made by 2,005,611 unique visitors who visited wpcnr an average of 3 visits a day. ON JULY 20- -2026 visitors have accessed wpcnr and made 3,072 visits an average of 1.6 visits. In the last week 33,495 individual vistors made 54,458 visits, averaging 1.6 visits. In the last month, 152,940 visitors recorded 229,338 visits (1.5 visits)
Below is some important information pertaining to the Special Meeting of the White Plains Planning Board on February 7th, 2023 regarding the Farrell Estates project in Gedney Farms.
The meeting will take place from 7-9pm at City Hall, 255 Main Street.
Large developments in our neighboring south end communities have the potential to negatively impact traffic patterns, potential environmental impacts regarding water run-off and drainage that flow south, the future development of 330 West St., as well as the old Windward property on Windward Ave.
The RRA (Rosedale Residential Association) wants to ensure the city informs us on how this new development may impact the safety and character of our neighborhood. If you are interested in these potential impacts, please review the below Farrell Estates application.
Thanks to all 38,000 (!!) of you who completed the “Who are you?” survey. If you are one of those people who was told they were a robot, traffic has now slowed down now. If you have the patience to try one more time, click the link here. Thank you!!
Egg prices are up 60%, which means we are paying upwards of $5-7 for a dozen eggs. That is if you can find them.
Why? A constellation of reasons, but there is one we can’t ignore: the avian flu is hammering poultry farmers. For the general public, there’s no immediate concern, except that it’s a pain at the grocery store. However, avian flu is mutating, which may have implications for our future health. Here’s the lowdown.
What’s going on?
In early January 2022, U.S. infectious disease surveillance systems detected a highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAI) called A(H5N1), more commonly known as the bird flu or avian influenza.
Since then, more than 54 million wild and domestic birds have been infected across 47 U.S. states leading to an unprecedented outbreak. This includes 44 million egg-laying hens, hence egg prices. We haven’t detected the avian flu in the U.S. since 2016, so this new outbreak this is noteworthy.
Why does this matter?
The risk of avian flu to human health is currently very low. To demonstrate, CDC has tracked the health of more than 5,190 people exposed to birds with the virus in 2022, with one human case reported. If someone does get infected, there is no sustained human-to-human transmission. In other words, a human can typically only get it from an infected bird.
But, as Dr. Michael Osterholm said to STAT, “Any time you’re dealing with H5N1, you sleep with one eye open.” This is for three reasons:
Economic damage. On a small scale, outbreaks can wreak havoc on backyard chicken coops, which is stressful for families who are reliant on their egg and meat production. On a larger scale, outbreaks in commercial poultry farms have devastate local food supplies, affect farmers’ and employees’ livelihoods, and raise poultry prices due to a limited and strained supply. For example, an egg factory in Iowa killed 5.3 million chickens over a single case of avian influenza in the flock. This was the largest culling of commercial birds in the U.S.The presumed burial pit of chickens on Rembrandt Foods property. Photograph: Dan Brouillette/The Guardian. Source here.
High mortality rate. If someone does get infected, symptoms can range from asymptomatic to severe illness, hospitalization, and death. From 2003-2021 there have been very few human cases worldwide: 864. But, among these cases, 456 died—a 53% mortality rate.
Mutations. H5N1 has the potential to mutate into being better adaptable to humans. This can happen over time with single mutations or at one time with one big change in which large sections of the virus recombine (like with the human flu) to create a very different virus. Concern recently heightened when a European report confirmed sustained mammal-to-mammal transmission of H5N1 in Spain in October 2022 at a mink farm. The weekly mortality rate reached 4.3% per week. Scientists mapped the genome of the virus at the mink farm and found that it carried rare and previously unreported mutations. This means the virus could be mutating in a concerning direction. Many epidemiologists continue to put money on the flu causing the next pandemic. (Keep in mind that the 1918 flu was linked to the avian flu.) I cannot think of a bigger disaster than having another respiratory pandemic on the heels of COVID-19, given fatigue, polarization, loss of trust, and limited time to improve.
What to do?
Infected birds shed the virus through their mucous, salvia, and feces. Humans can get sick from breathing in the droplets or aerosols containing viral particles.
You cannot get avian flu from eating poultry or eggs. The FDA conducted a risk assessment and found risk was very low for three reasons:
Rapid onset of bird symptoms = low likelihood of entering the food chain;
Safeguards in place, like testing flocks and federal inspections;
Proper storage and food preparation at home is enough to inactivate the virus.
Right now you don’t need to do anything, unless you’re in close contact with birds. A person’s level of risk is dependent on duration and intensity of exposure. In other words, a person with one chicken in their backyard is at much lower risk than someone at a poultry farm.
Those around wild birds, such as at parks, lakes, rivers, or other waterways, need to exercise caution, including wearing PPE, washing hands, and changing clothes. If you have backyard poultry, wear a mask and wash your hands. Also, monitor the health of your flock, especially if they come in contact with other wild birds.
Commercial facilities have stepped up control measures to monitor cases and safety measures to protect their flocks, which is also contributing to increasing egg prices.
All of these practices will help you, as an individual, avoid sickness. But it will also help lower the population risk by reducing the number of times the virus mutates (and reducing the possibility of a human outbreak).
How long will this outbreak last?
We don’t know. Just like with COVID-19, it’s difficult to predict a virus’s future. The last large avian flu pandemic lasted 6 months, so the current outbreak has already been twice as long.
Bottom line
We are experiencing a record outbreak of avian flu—the largest and longest in U.S. history. It has been devastating to farmers and birds but likely only affects you at the grocery store. Epidemiologists continue to pay close attention and are crossing our fingers that we don’t see sustained human-to-human transmission.
Love, YLE
Special thanks to Lauren Leining—a rock star PhD candidate in epidemiology—who helped gather research for this article.
“Your Local Epidemiologist (YLE)” is written by Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, MPH PhD—an epidemiologist, data scientist, wife, and mom of two little girls. During the day she works at a nonpartisan health policy think tank and is a senior scientific consultant to a number of organizations, including the CDC. At night she writes this newsletter. Her main goal is to “translate” the ever-evolving public health science so that people will be well equipped to make evidence-based decisions. This newsletter is free thanks to the generous support of fellow YLE community members. To support this effort, subscribe below:
WPCNR CORONAVIRUS SURVEILLANCE. Statistics from New York State Covid Tracker. Observation and Analysis by John F. Bailey. January 23, 2023:
Westchester completed its third straight week of preventing covid from spreading saturday.
The county reported 1,441 new covid cases for the 7 days Sunday January 15 through Saturday January 21. The county is reported as having an infection rate of 10% on 14,809 lab verified tests for 1,441 new cases for the week.
Considering it takes two weeks to measure how persons are catching the disease from new positives and given the fast infection rate of the new XBB.1.5 variant (2 days) the 1,896 infections at the end the week January 8, infected 1,441 new persons, meaning one new case infected 1.5 persons the last two weeks.
Or if you want to be more positive about the infection rate, figure that the XBB.1.5. variant you could take heart that 1 person was only infecting 1 to ½ a person over the two weeks ended Saturday night. The XBB.1.5 variant was just starting to the New York area big time two weeks ago.
Last week’s stat of 1,520 (Jan 8 to 14) divided by new infections two weeks ago (1,896) would mean that the XBB.1.5. variant emerging on the New York area roughly January 8 to 14, saw 1 new infection only infect 1.2 people.
Now two weeks later the new infection is rate is 1.5% or one person is infecting just ½ a person.
If the state, and Westchester County Health Departments give us their accurate infection rate figured by the data they have (in more detail), we might know whether the XBB.1.5. variant is being contained as it appears the last three weeks.
You have only yours truly who is trying to keep track of this and of course, YOUR LOCAL EPIDEMIOLOGIST, Dr. Katelyn Jetelina.
Why this silence from the state? From the County? From the School Districts?
The best I can figure for you is that you, Westchester County residents are doing better, practicing safer socializing, because so far covid cases are being contained for three weeks now, despite the nasty XBB.1.5 variant.
But frankly I’m puzzled.
What is the daily new case count in Westchester (given every day)? Could it be lagging behind substantially do to absence of honest reporting positive by covid positive persons? Or is the state just behind keeping up with the inflow of positive tests?
Westchester the last 7 days has a daily new case rate of 13.6 new cases a day per 100,000 population.
Westchester has 1,004,457 persons according to the completed census of 2022. Persons reading my analyses which I do from time to time, KNOW the number of 100,000 increments making up the 1,004,457 is 10.04.
To get the number new cases a day the last 7 days you multiply 13.6 cases per one day by 10.04 which gives us 136 new cases daily, multiply that by 7 and you get 952 new cases a week.
Multiply 952 new infections a week by 4 weeks and Westchester is growing cases by 3,808 a month according to the covid tracker Saturday.
But, here’s what I don’t understand.
Even with the containment of covid for three weeks now, we are on target for6,000 infections this month if you go by the daily reported average new case rate OF 13.6
So how come the state reports we only got lab-tested results of 1,441 the week ended Saturday?
An explanation be could that persons are not getting lab tested when they discover they are positive for covid. Their cases may not be as serious, and we are told people are not getting as sick. Either the average new cases daily statistic is lagging behind or cases are not being reported by people walking positive.
However if people are covering up they are positive so they can continue to go to work, then the state’s only daily case rate for Westchester County shows we are either lagging in case reporting, or worsenot getting straight data from the population.
Medical facilities and caregivers, school districts, parents or the state is (for the purpose of morale and “getting back to normal” and keeping the economy going) is underreporting,or behind in counting new cases or people are not reporting positives and seeing doctors.
Last week the state said we had 1,441 new cases. If we were getting 13.6 cases average new cases daily the last 7 days we should have had about 955 last week, not 1,441 as reported for the week, which would be fantastic.
I think this means there are either delays in reporting daily cases or God forbid, many more are being treated in the county and the reporting is really backlogged. Last time the County Executive reported hospitalizations for covid it was 285 and that was a week ago.
The state reports 4,862 cases the first 3 weeks of January.
Another week of 1,500 new cases would give us over 6,000 for the month in the county for January, compared to 9,103 in December.
The takeaway despite what appears to be a data delay on daily new cases, we have contained covid in January, cases are down 34%
A word of caution: Westchester County positive testing percentage of those tested was 10% for the week on lab-verified tests of 2,115 average per day (14,809 lab verified results for the week).
If 10% of all people tested test positive for every 2,000 tests there could very well be far more people positive out there. Say we test 6,000 that is 600 new positives. Nassau and Suffolk County have hitting those kind of positives most days for weeks now. If Westchester tested 10,000 you might find 1,000 positives a day.
Given a 10% positive rate in Westchester, it seems we have fewer infections reported than we should be seeing reported.
You need to continue to be wary: Winter Recess is coming up for a full week in February generating new opportunities for socialization and infection.
The relaxation of reporting protocols of new covid case reporting by state, the State Education Department does not appear to be telling an accurate story how daily average new cases for Westchester County, in my opinion.
It would be in the best interests of the public to return to reporting all cases in the county and in the school districts to see the movement of covid infections, as well as individual communities in Westchester County as it used to do.
WHITE PLAINS WEEK THE JANUARY 20 REPORT TONIGHT 7:30 PM CH 45 FIOS COUNTYWIDE, CH 76 OPTIMUM WHITE PLAINS & www.wpcommunitymedia.org TONIGHT
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HONORED BY WESTCHESTER COUNTYCOUNTY EXECUTIVE GEORGE LATIMER ON HIS PRIORITIES FOR HIS 5TH YEAR IN OFFICENY SENATE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE REJECTS GOVERNOR HOCHUL CHIEF JUSTICE NOMINEE. DIRECT CHALLENGE TO GOVERNOR’S AUTHORITYCOVID CONTAINED THIRD CONSECUTIVE WEEK — MAYBESHOCKERJOHN BAILEY AND THE NEWS
