The Erie County Department of Health has issued its weekly COVID-19 update, and for the first time since July, the number of cases declined from the previous week.
For the week ending Oct. 16, there were 1,818 new COVID cases among Erie County residents, a 1.7% decrease from the previous week, 124 COVID patients were hospitalized as of Sunday and 24 COVID-associated deaths were reported in the county in the past seven days.
Total COVID-19-related deaths March 2020-Oct. 14, 2021 in Erie County now stand at 2,062, with 786 reported in 2021..
While the county’s case rate of 191 cases per 100,000 residents is down a bit, the CDC's case rate threshold of 100 or more cases per 100,000 residents is considered “high transmission.”
Officials said 29% of new cases last week were among Buffalo residents, who also represent 29% of the county's population.
Most COVID-19 cases also continue to be in the 20-29 and 30-39-year-old age groups. For children under age 18 years, there were 404 cases, nearly the same as the previous week.
