HOPEWELL, NY — The Ontario County Public Health Department on Tuesday expressed concern over the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the county and is urging all residents to step up prevention efforts to reduce its spread.

The county has seen an increase in the number of people testing positive for COVID-19 — in hospitals, colleges, assisted living centers and the general public — and a slight increase in hospitalizations since Oct. 1.

“We are seeing a slow rise of COVID-19 cases similar to other counties in our region,” Ontario County Public Health Director Mary Beer said in a statement issued Tuesday afternoon. “This is not unexpected with the reopening of the economy, colleges and public schools. No one town or city is being affected more than another.”

Beer went on to say, “Our staff members are working seven days a week investigating and isolating positive cases and placing contacts on quarantine as soon as possible. The New York State Department of Health contact tracers are helping us monitor contacts and travelers which allows our staff to focus on case investigations and isolations. Enforcement has been stepped up as well to prevent future clusters.”  

As of Monday evening, Ontario County Public Health had reported seven new cases of the 509 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of that total, 447 had recovered, 35 had died and five were in the hospital. The county also has had 27,797 negative tests.

“Thankfully, there have been no new reported deaths,” Beer said.

Ontario County Public Health, the state Department of Health, local hospitals, colleges and assisted living centers are working together to actively investigate clusters while they are small to prevent a large outbreak.

Beer urged community members not to let their guard down. Continue to wear face coverings and practice social distancing, stay away from crowds and parties, wash hands frequently and stay home if you are sick, Beer said.

“We’ve done so well as a community keeping our numbers low and not overwhelming our healthcare system,” Beer said. “We know residents are tired of hearing about COVID-19 and want to get back to their normal lives; but this is a marathon, not a sprint.”

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