550 new COVID-19 cases in Monroe County

Rochester, New York — According to officials from the Monroe County Department of Public Health, 550 new COVID-19 cases are reported on Thursday, the largest single-day increase since January 15 (676).

A joint statement from Monroe County Executive Adam Bello and Public Health Commissioner Dr. Michael Mendoza Thursday said:

“As much as we would all like to see an end to this pandemic, today’s new caseload is a clear indication that COVID-19 is still very much a part of our lives. As we know, an increasing caseload will translate into increasing hospitalizations in the coming weeks if we cannot get the virus under control.

Fortunately, we know how to do that. According to the latest data, the rate of hospitalization for unvaccinated individuals is nearly ten times that of vaccinated people. We cannot stress that enough. You are ten times more likely to be hospitalized if you have not been fully vaccinated.

Vaccination and booster shots are critical to keeping people out of the hospital and preventing further strain on our health systems and their staff. Please take charge of your health and the health of our community, and get your shot as soon as possible.“

County officials report COVID-19 deaths weekly on Mondays. To date, 1,455 Monroe County residents have died from COVID-19.

As of Wednesday, the county was now averaging 340 new cases per day over the past week. Monroe County now has a seven-day rolling average positivity rate of 6.1%.

According to the New York State Department of Health, 283 people in the Finger Lakes region were hospitalized with the virus Friday, including 77 in an ICU.

As of the Monroe County COVID-19 dashboard’s last local vaccination update, October 25, 450,233 county residents are fully vaccinated and 497, 869 have received at least one dose of the vaccine — 77.4% of the county population.

COVID-19 cases are rising quickly in Monroe County, reaching new daily cases levels, average positivity rates, and regional hospitalizations not seen since January when the community was coming down from the peak of the holiday surge.