Western New York's Covid rate is at 1.3%. 'Not good,' says Cuomo

On Friday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced Western New York's positive test rate as 1.3%, accompanied by his usual brief assessment of the number.

"Not good," said the governor.

In a week that has seen upticks in cases, hospitalizations and deaths, Friday saw a first for Western New York during the pandemic as all five counties of the region had case totals in the double-digits on the same day, according to state data.

The state reported Erie County with 45 cases, Niagara County with 17, Cattaraugus with 16, Chautauqua with 12 and Allegany with 10.

Those Thursday totals amounted to 100 positives among 7,501 tests and the 1.3% percentage positive rate, a key metric in measuring the spread of the coronavirus. 

That rate was the second-highest rate among the state's 10 regions despite various "hot spot clusters" downstate.

The Hudson Valley region had the highest rate of 2.1%, in large part due to outbreaks in Orange and Rockland counties. New York City, which has seen similar outbreaks in the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, was third at 1.2%. The remaining seven regions were all at 1% or below.

The 20 hot spot ZIP codes, all from the Hudson Valley and New York City, make up 6.6% of the state's population but accounted for 25% of the state's positive cases Thursday. The hot spot ZIP codes' positive rate was 5.4%; the rest of the state was 0.9%; the state's overall rate was 1.1%.  

Western New York's seven-day average rate has been 1.2% to 1.3% for more than two weeks. 

The region continued to have some of its highest hospitalizations due to the coronavirus in months, according to state data.

There were 55 patients hospitalized Thursday, down one from the previous day; 14 of those were in intensive care, down four from Thursday. The seven-day average for both metrics (51 and 13) are at their highest levels since late June.  

As the region surpassed 15,000 total cases this week, part of a pandemic that has infected more than 470,000 in the state, 7.6 million in the United States and 36.5 million worldwide, each of Western New York's counties has posted higher-than-usual numbers. 

• Erie County added 12 deaths to its total on Wednesday. Nine of those occurred in the previous seven days while three occurred prior to that time, according to the Erie County Department of Health.

The nine deaths over seven days marked the county's highest death total over such a short period of time since mid-July.

• Allegany County reported nine cases on Thursday, the largest single-day total the county has reported during the pandemic. The nine cases in one day put the county's total at 150.

Allegany's seven-day average positive rate, which was under 1% the entire summer, has been over that mark for most of the past week and is currently at 1.2%, according to state data.  

Daily totals from counties often differ slightly from the state's data due to discrepancies that can include tests administered in one county on individuals who are not from that county, or circumstances such as the timing and/or reporting of tests.

• Cattaraugus County also reported its largest single-day total on Thursday with 19 cases. Its previous high was 13 on Oct. 2.

Through Thursday, the county had already reported 58 cases for October, a huge increase for a county whose previous monthly high was 62 for September. 

State data has the county's seven-day rolling average positive rate at over 2% for most of this month after it had been under 0.5% for much of the summer. 

Cattaraugus also reported three deaths this week, increasing its death toll to 10. The county had four deaths in April and May; it has had six since Sept. 13

• Chautauqua County reported 17 cases on Thursday, its highest single-day total since it reported 37 on Sept. 3 in the midst of an outbreak at Dunkirk's Fieldbrook Foods processing plant. 

Chautauqua also reported three deaths this week, increasing its death toll to 13. The three deaths in October equals the county's highest monthly death toll; it had three in June. 

• Niagara County reported 20 cases on Friday, which the county said was its highest daily total in two months.

However, state data shows Niagara County's seven-day rolling average positive rate being under 1% most days since the early summer. Niagara County has not reported a death since late August. 

Traditional Western New York counties of Orleans, Genesee and Wyoming, which the state considers as part of its Finger Lakes region, have also seen increases recently. 

Genesee County reported 10 cases Thursday, its highest single-day total since it reported 10 on April 22. Genesee's seven-day rolling average positive rate, according to state data, has been over 1% since Sept. 30 after being below that mark since late June.

Wyoming County reported 15 cases Monday through Thursday, a four-day total the county hasn't seen since April. 

Orleans County reported five cases Thursday and two Tuesday, its highest total over a three-day period in a month.