The Cattaraugus County Health Department is seeing an uptick in both the number of new COVID-19 cases and in people getting vaccinations.
Public Health Director Dr. Kevin D. Watkins told the Board of Health on Wednesday that while lagging behind the pace of COVID-19 vaccinations this spring, there has been a slight increase in county residents seeking the vaccine as the more dangerous Delta variant sweeps across the country and New York state.
Nearly 2,000 of the 5,813 cases reported in the county are in the 1-29 age group. The oldest age group, 80-99 has 305 positive cases. Older residents have a higher vaccination rate than younger individuals. The county’s recovery rate from COVID-19 is 97%. With 109 deaths, there is about a 2% death rate, Watkins said.
The county’s daily positivity is about 1.9%. The seven-day rolling average was 3.9%, about the same rate as New York state.
“Vaccinations work very well against severe infection and hospitalization,” Watkins told the board.
There have been breakthrough cases of fully vaccinated individuals — a recorded 61 so far — who had at least one dose of the vaccine and later tested positive. Twenty-four of those cases involved people who had received the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, 20 had received the Moderna vaccine, 16 had got the Pfizer vaccine and one had Astra-Zeneca.
While the Delta variant has not been sequenced in Cattaraugus County, health officials believe it is behind the latest uptick in cases. There have been 26 new cases in the last week, 17 of those since Friday.
The uptick in cases is not enough to trigger the latest Centers for Disease Control recommendations for everyone to wear masks inside. There are 23 counties in the state, including Erie County, with significant cases and four with a high number of cases.
Watkins speculated that the rise in the number of cases in the county, coupled with the more contagious Delta variant sweeping across the country, is behind the slight increase in people making appointments to be vaccinated.
“Vaccine hesitancy still exists,” Watkins emphasized. The health department is trying to make the vaccine more widely available at schools, the County Building in Olean and this week at the Cattaraugus County Fair. “There’s quite a bit of interest at the fair,” he added.
Meanwhile, the county health department reported two new positive COVID-19 test results on Wednesday.
There have now been 5,815 county residents diagnosed with the coronavirus since March 2020.
The health department is following 57 active cases, four people who are hospitalized and 256 in contact quarantine.
Wednesday’s positivity was 2.5%, the seven-day rolling average was 3.6% and the 14-day average is 2.9%.
There are now 31,535 county residents who have completed their vaccination series and 34,167 people who have had at least one dose.
That means 53.8% of the 18 and older population and 44.5% of the entire population with at least one vaccine dose.
Mosquito control
Watkins also outlined plans for possible aerial spraying of mosquito larvicide to combat the rising number of complaints from residents of the Allegheny River Valley.
Health officials contacted the contractor who was awarded the mosquito spraying bid, who is checking the availability and cost of the larvicide product, Watkins said.
The municipalities involved in the county’s Mosquito Surveillance and Control program include the city and town of Olean, Portville, Hinsdale, Allegany, Carrollton, Great Valley and Salamanca. Spraying is usually contingent on identifying mosquitoes able to carry diseases such as West Nile virus, Eastern equine encephalitis and zika virus.
Health department employees are checking levels of mosquito larvae in breeding pools in the coverage area, Watkins said. Since there were no interns this year to collect and identify mosquitoes and count larvae, the sheer numbers will be used to justify spraying of larvicide to halt development of mosquito larvae in the breeding pools.
Environmental health director Eric Wohlers said the larvicide spraying won’t affect the numbers of mosquitoes in most residents’ backyards.
Removal of containers in the yard that can hold water and mosquito eggs is the easiest way to protect against mosquitoes. Changing the water in the birdbath every few days can also make a difference, as does removing water from pool covers.
The best way to protect yourself from mosquito bites, according to Wohlers is to wear long sleeve clothing and use an insect repellant containing DEET. Put it on clothing and exposed skin, being careful not to get it in your eyes. Shower afterwards and wash clothing with the repellant.
Property owner fined
The Board of Health also voted to fine the owner of Sherwood Mobile Home Park on Four Mile Road in Allegany $1,225 for repeat violations.
The board fined owner Thomas Gilray $600 for operating a mobile home park without a permit, $500 for failure to fix water quality issues (high manganese levels) and $125 for failing to correct a long-standing drainage problem that is affecting a home’s foundation.
Board members held out the possibility that the trailer park could be forced to close if the citations were not corrected and an operating permit was issued.
Wohlers said the U.S. Department of Agriculture plans to air drop bait containing rabies vaccine across towns in the northern part of the county between Aug. 18 and 20.
Last year was the first year for the USDA program in this county, which is conducted in cooperation with the state Health Department.
