Two Cattaraugus County residents died of COVID-19 and 87 new cases were reported Thursday.
The new cases pushed the total number to 8,198 since March 2020, with 1,143 new cases reported so far this month.
There have now been 139 total COVID-19 deaths in Cattaraugus County, 18 this month alone. An 80-year-old man and a 74-year-old woman are the latest to succumb to complications resulting from the virus.
The health department is now following 406 active cases and 46 residents who are hospitalized. There are also 688 people in contact quarantine.
Fifty-three of the new cases were people who were unvaccinated, while the other 34 cases were people who had been vaccinated.
The vaccinated cases usually involve people whose immunity is waning. The more transmissible delta variant may also be a factor since the vaccine was not formulated for the variant.
Fifty-four of the new cases Thursday were from the southeast part of the county, which has now recorded 4,066 cases.
There were also 14 new cases in the southwest where there now have been a total of 1,502 cases, 11 new cases in the northeast where there have been 1,517 cases and eight in the northwest where there have been 1,143 cases.
Forty-four of the new cases were women, who now total 4,379 cases, and 43 were men who total 3,819 cases.
The county’s public health director, Dr. Kevin D. Watkins, said 35,128 residents have completed their vaccine series and 38,058 people have received at least one vaccine dose. That’s 59.5% of the 18 and older population and 49.5% of the entire population with at least one vaccine dose. Watkins said Thursday’s daily positivity was 6.4% and the seven-day rolling average was 8.5%.
To register for a free COVID-19 diagnostic test through the county health department, go online to:
Appointments for vaccinations can be made through the Cattaraugus County website by visiting: https://www.cattco.org/covid-vacc-info or call the COVID-19 Vaccine Hotline at (716) 701-3777.
