Oneida County Hits Highest One Day COVID-19 Death Toll of 6

It was a tragic day in Oneida County as 6 more people have lost their life due to COVID-19. For the county this is the highest one-day total to date.

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente says,

I am deeply saddened to announce the loss of six more lives in Oneida County and our condolences go out to their family and friends. This is a stark reminder that we are far from escaping the deadly grip of this horrible pandemic. We must continue to remain on alert and follow the guidelines that help prevent the spread of this virus. As we move through a safe and controlled reopening of Oneida County, we cannot let our guard down for a second.

Five of the six fatalities announced Wednesday were nursing home related. Today's numbers indicate that nearly 80% of the deaths in Oneida County have been nursing home related, a scary number.

Picente's office also announced Wednesday 15 new positive cases, 4 of which came from nursing homes. The number of Oneida County residents hospitalized currently is 53. 41 are inside the county, 9 are admitted at Rome Memorial Hospital and 3 are being treated outside the county. Another number that does not bode well is 40. That is how many hospitalized patients are nursing home residents.

Any day that there is death is a bad day, but in the midst of a phased reopening, it's difficult to see a death toll that high. Hopefully, we will not see numbers like this again. To echo Picente's sentiment, it's important to remember the guidelines and proper procedures as we move forward.