Spread of COVID-19 Not Slowing Down In The Mohawk Valley

The spread of COVID-19 is not slowing down at all in Oneida County. Officials announced Monday 256 new positive cases, including 26 nursing home patients.

Oneida County officials also announced one new COVID-19 related death, bringing the death toll to 215 since the Pandemic began in March. Officials say 158 county residents are hospitalized with the virus. There are 131 residents at Mohawk Valley Health System, 19 residents are admitted at Rome Memorial Hospital and 8 residents are hospitalized outside of the county. There are currently 4,963 active positive cases and the total number of cases confirmed since the Pandemic began stands at 11,166.

Herkimer County also saw another day with a sharp increase in positive COVID-19 cases. On Monday, Herkimer County Public Health Director Christina Cain announced two additional COVID-19 related deaths, bringing their death toll to 21 since the inception of the Pandemic. In addition to the deaths, 56 new lab-confirmed cases were announced. Currently, Herkimer County has over 800 active positive cases and 36 hospitalizations. While these increases are on a smaller scale than Oneida County, it does not diminish the severity of the situation.

As of Christmas Eve, Madison County had 354 active positive cases and a total of 43 deaths. Since the start of the Pandemic Madison County has seen 2,061 total lab-confirmed cases.

What's the solution? It's not known at this point. Hopefully, the vaccine will bring some sort of resolution to this problem. But, as the triple digit days of positive COVID-19 cases continue, hospitalizations will unfortunately trend in the wrong direction. Health officials, as always, continue to urge people to follow the proper safety protocols we've all come to know so well.