More Than 500 WNY Residents Are In The Hospital Due to COVID-19

It's no secret, Western New York is losing its battle with COVID-19 right now. Our positivity rate has exceeded 10 percent recently and it's currently the highest in the state. As of the most recent data released by New York Governor Kathy Hochul on December 6, 2021, WNY has a 7-day average percentage of 11.22 percent.

According to the most recent hospitalization data released by the New York State Department of Health, 529 WNYers are in the hospital receiving treatment for COVID-19. There are currently 97 WNY residents in intensive care units due to COVID-19. WNY has one of the highest hospitalization rates across the state. For comparison purposes, 3 months ago on September 6, there were 35 patients in ICU and 59 hospitalized in WNY. That's an increase of almost 800 percent in 90 days!

In addition to this news, four new cases of the Omicron variant have been found - two in Suffolk County and two in Oneida County. It's clear that the Omicron variant is spreading throughout the state. There are currently 12 known cases of the Omicron variant.

As of December 5, 2021, here are the total number of deaths from COVID-19 in NWY:

Wyoming - 70

Orleans - 96

Allegany - 124

Genesee - 147

Cattaraugus - 165

Chautauqua - 197

Niagara County - 427

Erie County - 2092

Get our free mobile app

Man Who Caught COVID-19 Omicron Variant Says 15 Friends Are Sick After NY Event

A man who attended an event in New York and then tested positive for the Omicron variant of COVID-19 says that 15 of his friends are also sick. The Minnesota man attended Anime NYC at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in NYC. He's told health officials that his friends who were a part of a group of 30 were all at the event. It's not clear if they caught the latest variant of the deadly virus, but health officials are investigating.

Organizers of the event said they are not sure if the man caught COVID-19 at the event since all attendees needed to have at least one dose of the vaccine and wear masks. Kelly Comboni, president of LeftField Media which put the event together said,

There have been no other mass cases reported from our event, and we are now way past two weeks.

While the Omicron variant has infected 8 people, so far, in New York, the Delta variant is the main source of COVID-19 infections across the state, according to the New York Department of Health.

Get our free mobile app