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Hamburg Central School District Superintendent Michael Cornell is hopeful the state's recent Test to Stay plan for schools is the first step in the process of returning schools to a pre-pandemic normalcy.
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Beginning Monday, school districts throughout Erie County will roll out Test to Stay, a COVID policy aimed at keeping kids in school. County health leaders agree it’s important to keep children in classroom settings. The president of the Buffalo Niagara Superintendents Association, meanwhile, says local schools were already prepared to go before getting the county’s guidance Friday.
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Some unfavorable trends, but also some encouraging numbers make up Erie County’s latest COVID report, which was presented Tuesday. County Executive Mark Poloncarz opened by declaring that the county recorded its highest number of new cases within a 24-hour period, while hospitalizations were down.
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Erie County officials say Monday’s COVID positivity rate was at 12 percent, with 832 new positive tests reported for that day. During Tuesday’s COVID briefing, county leaders discussed ongoing efforts to curb the spread. They’re also concerned for an anticipated post-holiday increase, while also keeping their eyes on COVID’s latest variant, Omicron.
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As COVID infection rates were rising in Western New York counties, State Sen, Sean Ryan echoed the sentiments of Erie County officials, who have said they don’t want to return to public safety mandates but might have to if necessary. Ryan says the problem includes local government inaction and a portion of the public who continues to flaunt rules meant to curb COVID spread.
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Erie County health officials say it’s still too soon to tell whether opioid overdose deaths will trend upward or downward from 2020. But one noticeable trend is the growing presence of cocaine use in relation to many opioid fatalities.
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Erie County and Pegula Sports & Entertainment have announced new health and safety protocols for Highmark Stadium and KeyBank Center.
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The Erie County Department of Health announced Friday afternoon that the latest COVID infection statistics have increased enough to raise the area's status from "moderate" transmission risk to "substantial."
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With the opening of school not that far away, the push is increasing to get those aged 12 and above vaccinated soon enough to be fully immunized against COVID-19 before classes start around Labor Day.
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The Erie County Department of the Health has begun notifying the county Legislature about COVID-19 outbreaks in local nursing homes, but it is still not…