Erie County leaders concerned about uptick in COVID cases in kids
https://www.wkbw.com/news/coronavirus/erie-county-leaders-concerned-about-uptick-in-covid-cases-in-kids
and last updated 2021-08-04 17:17:56-04
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) â Erie County leaders said there is an increase in COVID cases in children. Youth ages 17 and younger it was more than double than what it was last week. It went from 43 cases to 98 cases, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said.
Poloncarz and Erie County Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein said the uptick is largely being fueled by summer camps and schools. In July, we have seen more evidence of transmission in the summer schools and the camps than compared to what we saw during the school year, Dr. Burstein said.
With a month until school starting, and COVID-19 numbers starting to creep back up with the Delta variant, Erie County leaders spoke about their concerns with summer camps and summer schools on Wednesday.
/ Dr. Gale Burstein, Erie County health commissioner, speaks at a press conference March 4, 2020 at the county building, discussing the testing of county residents for COVID-19 during the early stages of the pandemic.
A spike in positive COVID-19 cases this week has bumped Erie County from the CDC’s low transmission risk category to its moderate risk transmission category.
A health department investigation found the 48 reported positive cases of the virus on Tuesday were due to traveling to and from southern states, where positive cases are soaring, but also because of large gatherings for the Four of July weekend.
But Erie County Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein said these numbers are not reflective of the overall downward trend in positivity and hospitalization rates in the county since mid-April.
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