Two deaths in December 8 update from Health Department on COVID-19 cases

December 8, 2022 steven

The Tompkins County Health Department says there have now been 25,499 total positive cases in Tompkins County, 21 more than on Wednesday, and a total of 1,956,202 tests conducted. They say there are also 7 new positive self-test results for a total of 4,163 submitted through their online portal. Two Tompkins County residents have died.

“We are saddened to hear of the passing of two more Tompkins County residents,” said Tompkins County public health director Frank Kruppa. “These residents were both older adults, highlighting how the spread of this virus has fatal impact on our most vulnerable residents.”

As of Thursday at 7:30am, the Health Department says 225 tests were conducted since the last update. The Tompkins County Health Department publishes NYS vaccine tracking info, showing 88,688 Tompkins County residents have a first dose and 81,434 have completed vaccination (which could be one or two doses, depending on vaccine).

The Health Department says 4 people are currently hospitalized for COVID-19, one fewer than in Wednesday’s update. As of a shift in data last winter, “TCHD is reporting only active cases who are hospitalized,” rather than including patients recovered from COVID who remain hospitalized for other reasons.

“Of the recent uptick in hospitalizations, a vast majority have been of vaccinated individuals,” Tompkins County Public Health Director Frank Kruppa tells us, but “of the individuals who are vaccinated and have been hospitalized for COVID-19 related reasons, the trend holds that they are largely older adults, age 65+. This data points to the importance of boosters and 2nd boosters for those age 65+.”

There have been 73 deaths from COVID-19 recorded among Tompkins County residents, including the death of two area residents reported this week.

On September 25, Cornell University reported 48 active student cases and 71 active faculty and staff cases. Cornell seems to have halted their weekly updates, and has stopped offering PCR testing on campus.

As of December 8, Ithaca College reported 4 active student case, with 219 recovered, and 2 active employee cases and 51 recovered employees this academic year.

The Health Department says the public needs to prevent the spread of COVID-19 not just to protect themselves, but others in our community who are most vulnerable to getting very sick – older adults, those who are immune-compromised, and those with underlying chronic health conditions.

TCHD’s Frank Kruppa says, “There is a very high vaccination rate for our community, especially with the successes that have been reported by our local colleges. In addition to the arrival and surveillance testing, many of our new cases are arising from sustained close contact with a positive individual, meaning more than 10 minutes within six feet of a positive case. These close contacts are occurring more frequently in large indoor gatherings that mix different groups of people.”

“Over the past few weeks, our efforts have focused on vaccinating our young people and providing booster doses to those who are eligible,” Kruppa says. “We are distributing self-tests and masks throughout the county as we receive shipments and thank our community partners for assisting in this effort.”

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