Erie County sees significant spike in opioid-related overdose deaths
The Erie County Medical Examiner s Office confirmed 232 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2020, compared to 156 in 2019. Author: Leanne Stuck Updated: 11:16 PM EST February 24, 2021
BUFFALO, N.Y. Erie County Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein announced Wednesday that the county saw a sharp increase in overdose-related deaths in 2020.
During a virtual news conference, Dr. Burstein and Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz shared data from the Erie County Medical Examiner s Office and the Opiate Epidemic Task Force, showing that the county saw a 49 percent increase in opioid-related overdose deaths in 2020.
The Erie County Medical Examiner s Office confirmed 232 opioid-related overdose deaths in 2020, with 17 cases still pending toxicology reports. In 2019, 156 opioid-related deaths were recorded in the county.
Burstein: If you ve recently had COVID-19 hold off on getting vaccinated
Due to the current vaccine shortage, ECDOH officials are asking those who ve had the virus in the last 90 days to delay getting vaccinated. Author: Leanne Stuck Updated: 11:21 PM EST January 26, 2021
BUFFALO, N.Y. The Erie County Health Department is working to conserve available COVID-19 vaccine doses for those who need them most.
The health department is asking people who recently recovered from the virus to hold off on getting vaccinated. At a time when we have very little vaccine supply we are asking people who have been infected in the last 90 days to delay their vaccine appointment, said Erie County Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein.
Lincoln building becomes Erie County Department of Health s COVID-19 response hub
Epidemiology team to move in next week
The Erie County Department of Health s Epidemiology team will be moving into Buffalo s oldest downtown building.
and last updated 2021-01-12 09:01:15-05
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) â The Erie County Department of Health s Epidemiology team will be moving into Buffalo s oldest downtown building.
The Lincoln building first served as a church in 1833. Decades later, a school. It welcomed three presidents - Millard Fillmore, John Quincy Adams, and Abraham Lincoln.
And now, it s Erie County s COVID-19 response hub. Epidemiology will be here, the call center and contact tracing on the first two floors. And then the third and fourth floor will be utilized for other county activities, but the fourth floor is going to be a dedicated training space for not just the health department but also for other county agencies that need it, said Bill Geary, Erie County Commissi
NYSDOH, ECDOH change COVID-19 quarantine guidance
and last updated 2020-12-29 15:16:55-05
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) â The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) announced a change to its COVID-19 quarantine guidance Tuesday to align with CDC recommendations.
Under the new guidance individuals exposed to COVID-19 can end their quarantine after 10 days if no symptoms have been reported during the quarantine period.
This new guidance is in place as of December 28, the previous quarantine period was 14 days past last exposure.
The Erie County Department of Health announced its update guidance Monday which aligns with the NYSDOH and CDC guidance.
âThis will surely cause questions among people that our contact tracers are notifying,â said Erie County Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein. âThe 14-day quarantine period has been in place since the beginning of this pandemic, and our contact tracers and call center are prepared to answer questions on this change.