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Niagara County Legislature Chairwoman Becky Wydysh on LCTV.
Niagara County Legislature Chairwoman Becky Wydysh on LCTV.

Wydysh on flattening COVID-19 curve: 'We've made all those sacrifices; don't let that be a waste'

Wed, Apr 15th 2020 02:40 pm

The Niagara County Department of Health issued the following update on positive COVID-19 cases in Niagara County.

“We are very sad to report the death of four more Niagara County residents due to COVID-19,” a press release read. That includes:

  • 92-year-old female with underlying health conditions
  • 80-year-old male with underlying health conditions
  • 92-year-old male with underlying health conditions
  • 31-year-old male with no underlying health conditions

Today’s statistics reveal:

  • 13 new positive cases, for a total of 229 to date
  • 121 in isolation (96 isolating at home, 25 in hospital isolation)
  • 99 recovered
  • 9 deaths
  • 158 in quarantine, while 231 completed quarantine
  • 973 people tested (source: https://covid19tracker.health.ny.gov/)

Wydysh: Stay the Course

In her afternoon update on LCTV, Niagara County Legislature Chairwoman Becky Wydysh said, “Very sad to report today another four deaths in Niagara County related to the COVID-19 crisis. This is never easy to announce to our residents. These are our neighbors who are passing away; and we send our deepest sympathy and condolences, of course, to the friends and family of these individuals at this difficult time.”

She emphasized, “Clearly, an individual that's 31 years old with no underlying health conditions is a sad, stark reminder that COVID-19 is dangerous. No one is immune, and it can be fatal to anyone, at any age.

“We are certainly all anxious for life to return to normal, but we can never forget the seriousness of what we're dealing with.”

Wydysh said, “This virus is everywhere. … We know that there certainly are way more people who are probably testing positive, if they are given a test, that we're just unaware of.”

Niagara County Legislature Chairwoman Becky Wydysh on LCTV.

Speaking of New York, Wydysh said, “The governor told us today on his daily update that hospitalizations, ICU admissions and intubations are all down – and that is certainly the good news that we have been waiting to hear. It has been trending that way now for several days in a row.

“But the reality check is that the governor also told us there were another 752 deaths reported today statewide. We know that's been a lagging indicator of the current situation, because those individuals who are passing away have likely been on ventilators and dealing with this virus for several weeks now. So, that number will catch up, even as we see things trending better, as far as new numbers.

“Still, we see another 2,000 individuals statewide that have been hospitalized yesterday that have tested positive, and that number has been consistent. So, while we're seeing a flattening of the curve, those numbers are remaining steady. And that's what we need: We need a situation that our health system can handle. We don't want those hospitals to be overwhelmed with new cases. And that's the situation we're in. We're seeing that number flatten. But 2,000 new individuals still hospitalized in a day is a very big number.

“We aren't seeing those decreases here yet in Niagara County. We know that we are probably lagging behind the downstate area by a few weeks, as far as where we are in that process.

“So, again the message has not changed: We need to continue to follow all of those guidelines that we've been hearing all along.

“We've made many sacrifices over these last several weeks, whether it's your work situation, not seeing your family, having all of those businesses closed that we enjoy going to. We've made all those sacrifices; don't let that be a waste.

“Keep following those guidelines. Know that what we're doing is working. But we have to keep continuing that process to see that steady flattening, and to stay in a good situation that won't overwhelm our health care system.

“Very important to stay home and do your part, as you have been.”

See also >> Stapleton: Niagara County '2-3 weeks behind downstate' plateau

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