ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. — On Monday night Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced that an additional 25 people have died over the weekend from COVID-19.
There have been 308 deaths among lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases.
Currently, Erie County is reporting on their COVID-19 map that there are 3,749 positive cases, out of 19,190 people tested.
Poloncarz held a virtual update on the COVID-19 crisis in Erie County, where he discussed coronavirus trends in the county and the future of antibody testing in the county.
Dr. Gale Burstein, the county commissioner of health, says that they've seen a decrease in the percentage of positive COVID-19 tests out of the total tests completed, which is promising.
People over age 80 are still dying at a higher rate than the rest of the population, with 52.3 percent of COVID-19 deaths being in this age range. In comparison, people over 80 only make up 4.8 percent of the population in Erie County.
On May 2, 240 people were hospitalized for the virus, of which 98 were in the ICU. Seventy-three of the ICU patients required an airway assist.
A vast portion of those hospitalized are 65 and above, with 106 people being between 65 and 84 years old, and 18 being over age 85. However, people of all ages have been hospitalized for COVID-19, including one person between age zero and 19.
Burstein continued to encourage the community to get tested, as the county is now testing anyone who is symptomatic of COVID-19.
The New York State Health Department also opened drive-through testing site on Perry Street in the Cobblestone District last week. This site, like many others, is by appointment only by calling 1-888-364-3065.
This site is sampling symptomatic people who are in the highest risk populations, including people who have had close contact with a positive case, health care workers, nursing home employees, and first responders on the front line.
However, Burstein urged the public to not get tested for both the active infection (COVID-19 diagnostic test using a nose swab) and previous exposure (antibody test) in the same visit. Burstein says that you should not need to know both at the same time.
Antibody tests are not a diagnostic test to determine if you have an active infection. These tests only show if you have been exposed previously and developed antibodies.
Antibody tests involve drawing blood or using a finger-stick. Currently, these tests are available from some health care providers, some urgent care centers, and Kaleida Health. Kaleida provides tests only to those with a doctor's prescription.
Erie County received the results of the statewide anitbody testing, which showed that the state tested less than 1% of the Erie County population. Poloncarz says that 8,223 people were tested and 679 tested positive for the antibodies, equating to 8.3 percent of that tested group.
The county did not get any specific demographics about the people tested, so this test group may not be representative of the county, Poloncarz added.
Burstein says the limited results show that even if "herd immunity" exists for COVID-19, we are a very long way from reaching it.
Erie County is hoping to offer antibody testing to the public soon using the 100,000 tests they've ordered. They've offered tests to Erie County employees as a test of the system.
Once the rest of the testing materials are delivered, the county will launch clinics throughout the county.
The county also provided resources for those who are experiencing domestic violence, including how to reach the Family Justice Center.
Erie County also announced that the former Angola Airport will become the Western New York Agribusiness Park. This will be a 240-acre business park that will connect agricultural producers to businesses that rely on their products.
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