Both Erie County and the Western New York region reported all-time daily highs in coronavirus cases Tuesday, doing so by large margins.
Western New York's five counties combined to report 576 cases Tuesday, an increase of 151 of the previous high of 425, reached on Saturday.
Erie County reported 446 cases Tuesday, an increase of 61 from its previous high of 385, also reported on Saturday.
The "yellow zone" within Erie County had a daily positive test rate for Monday's tests of 7.47%, the state reported Tuesday. The yellow zone's seven-day rolling average rate is 6.22%.
State data of the Erie County yellow zone showed the rapid spread of the disease in the area. The yellow zone comprises all but the easternmost and southernmost towns of Erie County.
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For the week ending Oct. 24, the Erie County yellow zone had a positive test rate of 1.81%. The following week (Oct. 31), it was up to 2.86%. The next week (Nov. 7), it jumped to 5.35%.
The state's metrics for determining a yellow zone include a seven-day rolling average positive rate above 2.5% for 10 days.
Higher rates within those same parameters would have areas reach the state's more restrictive "orange" and "red" zones.
An area with a positive rate average above 3.0% for 10 days would be designated as an orange zone; an average rate above 4.0% for 10 days would be a red zone.
The World Health Organization recommends a positive test rate of 5% or under.
The positive rate for the overall Western New York region, which consists of Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties, was 5.7% for Monday's testing, the state announced Tuesday.
The region has the highest seven-day average positive rate in the state at 4.2%. Next highest is the Finger Lakes at 3.5%; the statewide average is 2.2%.
Western New York's 5.7% rate for Monday's tests tied the Finger Lakes region for the highest rate in the state. Western New York has tied or had the highest rate in the state for five straight days.
State data, which often differs slightly from county data due to differences in reporting dates or the location of tests, showed Erie County with 390 cases from Monday's testing, which was second only to New York City's 1,208.
Forty percent of the 1,100 Covid-19 cases at area colleges and universities were reported over the past 17 days.
Western New York counties reported eight deaths on Tuesday, with five of them coming from Allegany County. Two were reported in Cattaraugus County and one in Niagara County.
The Cattaraugus deaths were that of an 82-year-old man and a 95-year-old woman who both developed respiratory failure, according to the Cattaraugus County Department of Health.
Cattaraugus County has recorded 21 deaths due to the coronavirus; 15 of those have come since Oct. 1.
The county had only one Covid-19 death through September but has seen 23 since Oct. 1.
The Niagara County Department of Health reported that its death was of a 97-year-old woman and nursing home resident who had underlying health conditions. It is Niagara County's first reported death since Oct. 15. The county has a total of 103 deaths, but has reported just two since August.
No details were provided on the Allegany County deaths. Allegany County has reported 15 of its 24 deaths since Nov. 1.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz reported Wednesday morning via Twitter that five people died in Erie County hospitals Monday. The county has not updated its overall Covid-19 death count of 728 on its online map since last Wednesday.
