The latest mortality data for Erie County shows that December deaths due to a Covid-19 related illness rose considerably compared with prior months.
However, the numbers are still much lower than they were in December and January of last year, when the region saw a spike in Covid cases while the Covid vaccine was not widely available.
A total of 161 Erie County deaths last month were attributed to Covid-19, according to the county Health Department. That is the highest number of monthly deaths since last January, when 269 people died.
However, the death figure is still 59% lower than the previous December when 396 people died – the highest number of deaths in a single month since the public health crisis began in Western New York.
The new mortality numbers indicate that vaccinations still provide meaningful protection against serious illness and deaths. However, Covid variants that spread during the holiday season have sent positive cases soaring throughout the region and country, resulting in rising hospitalizations and deaths last month.
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In addition, while Erie County has generally been able to limit racial disparities in Covid-19 deaths, the latest mortality figures show that African American residents now comprise 16% of Covid-related fatalities, though they reflect only 14% of the population.
While the vast majority of Covid-related deaths among white residents occurs among those living outside Buffalo city boundaries, the opposite is true for Black residents.
