BUFFALO, N.Y. — The number of COVID-19 cases in Erie County dropped a bit last week, likely because of fewer tests over the Thanksgiving holiday, according to the Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH).
The 2% drop for the week ending on Saturday, was still part of a 145% increase in cases in the past six weeks and a 59% increase in the past four weeks.
ECDOH reports the county's case rate was 448 per 100,000 residents in the past seven days for the week ending on Nov. 27, and was a slight decrease from the previous week's rate of 456 per 100,000. A rate of 100 per 100,000 is considered "high transmission."
Of the cases reported last, 30% were in the City of Buffalo, which makes up 29% of the county population. Boston, Lancaster, Springville, Alden and Eden were the zipcodes with the highest case rates per 100,000 for last week, according to ECDOH.
As the holiday season approaches, ECDOH encourages people to stay home if sick, stay away from other people who are sick, and use COVID-19 testing tools to make sure you know you are COVID free before visiting family.
While the total number of cases was down, this past week saw the highest positivity percentage since March 2020. The 30-39 age group had the highest number of COVID-19 cases.
The latests hospitalization data from ECDOH on Sunday reports 484 people hospitalized, up 283 people in the last 30 days. Additionally, 88 people were reported in the ICU.