BUFFALO, N.Y. —
HIGHLIGHTS
- There are now 66,497 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in NYS; 1,218 people have died.
- Erie County now has 8 coronavirus related-deaths. 43 patients have recovered
- Genesee, Allegany and Chautauqua counties report their first coronavirus-related deaths
- Niagara County's confirmed cases of COVID-19 is now at 51
- 10 Buffalo Police officers test positive for COVID-19
- NYS DMV expends expiration dates on vehicle inspections during crisis.
- Poll: New Yorkers approve of Gov. Cuomo's handling of coronavirus
- USNS Comfort Arrives in New York to assist in treatment of non-covid-19 patients
- Elderwood at Amherst to open COVID-19 wing to ease stress on local hospitals
- Darien Lake delays opening day until at least May
New York State coronavirus cases continue to rise
Positive cases of coronavirus continue to rise in New York State. There are now 66,497 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Of those, 9,517 are currently hospitalized, with 2,352 of those patients in ICU. So far, 4,204 patients have been discharged from the hospital.
More than 1,200 people have died in NYS.
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is asking residents to support our health care workers.
Cuomo also announced they had a meeting with the entire statewide healthcare establishment, public and private, to provide a cohesive plan to battle the virus.
Erie County records 8 coronavirus-related deaths
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz has confirmed an eighth county resident has died from coronavirus. There are 443 confirmed cases in the county. Forty three people have recovered.
Poloncarz and Erie County Health Commissioner Dr. Gale Burstein will be holding a 3pm press briefing. You can watch it LIVE in the video player above. READ MORE HERE
Genesee County confirms first coronavirus-related story in their county
Genesee County health officials announced Monday the death of an elderly patient who had tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19).
They only identified the person as an individual that was over 65 and had underlying health conditions.
Genesee County currently has 11 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Those patients are in mandatory isolation. Thirty seven people are in mandatory quarantine. One hundred twenty two people have tested negative. READ MORE HERE
Niagara County adds 13 confirmed cases of COVID-19, total now at 51
The Niagara County Department of Health has confirmed 13 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of cases in the county to 51. The youngest case they have so far, are two, one-year-olds with COVID-19. Their oldest case is an 83-year-old patient. You can watch their press conference here:
Chautauqua County reports first coronavirus-related death
The Chautauqua County Department of Health is reporting the county's first coronvirus-related death.
The health department identified the patient was an elderly gentleman in his 80's. He was receiving treatment in an Erie, PA hospital.
Chautauqua County has eight confirmed cases of COVID-19. Seven people are recovering in their homes. READ MORE HERE:
Allegany County reports its first coronavirus-related death
An elderly person who was diagnosed with COVID-19 has died in Allegany County, according to the Allegany County Department of Health. This is the first coronavirus-related death in the county.
Officials from the Allegany County Department of Health say the individual was over 60 years old and had other health conditions, which could have compromised their recovery from the coronavirus. READ MORE HERE:
Orleans County now has 5 confirmed cases of COVID-19
Orleans County is reporting another case of confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19).
The county's total is now five. They are currently in mandatory isolation.
Nine people are under mandatory quarantine, and five are under precautionary quarantine.
10 Buffalo Police officers test positive for COVID-19
Ten Buffalo Police officers have tested positive for COVID-19, according to Buffalo Mayor Byron Brown.
The mayor added that another 23 officers are currently in quarantine.
As for what the department is doing to try to protect officers, the department says it received about 60,000 gloves last week. The Buffalo Police Department says it has enough N95 masks for every patrol officer. They added more have been ordered.
NYS State DMV extends expiration time for vehicle inspections
NYS DMV says vehicle inspection stickers that expire in March 2020 or later will be extended until further notice during the COVID-19 crisis.
Tops will not enforce bag ban in light of coronavirus, for now
Tops Markets has announced they will temporarily not enforce the New York State plastic bag ban as part of their sanitation efforts.
"While the plastic bag ban is still in effect in New York State, they did delay the enforcement of it at this point until May 15th. Tops is temporarily not enforcing it in order to help with sanitation concerns surrounding reusable bags and COVID-19" Tops said in a statement. READ MORE HERE
2 On Your Side also reached out to Wegmans and was told by a spokesperson that the store is not bringing back plastic bags at this time.
Poll: 87% of New Yorkers approve of Gov. Cuomo's handling of coronavirus
A new poll released by Siena College shows that an overwhelming majority of New Yorkers approve of Governor Andrew Cuomo's handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
The poll shows New Yorkers have high praise for Cuomo, their local health department, infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci and other local officials. 87 percent of those polled said they approve of the governor, while only 11 percent said they're disapproving of the way he's handled the pandemic. The poll shows 41 percent of those polled approve of President Donald Trump's response to COVID-19. Get more poll results here.
USNS Comfort Arrives in New York
On Monday, Governor Andrew Cuomo visited the USNS Comfort after it arrived in New York City.
The ship will act as a 1,000 bed hospital for non-COVID-19 patients, freeing up space in hospitals for people battling coronavirus.
Rescheduled Tokyo Olympics to open July 2021
(Stephen Wade, AP)The Tokyo Olympics will open next year in the same time slot scheduled for this year's games.
Tokyo organizers said Monday the opening ceremony will take place on July 23, 2021 — almost exactly one year after the games were due to start this year.
Last week, the IOC and Japanese organizers postponed the Olympics until 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. READ MORE HERE
Elderwood at Amherst to open COVID-19 unit for patients
On Monday, Elderwood at Amherst, a skilled nursing facility, announced that it will open a 22-bed unit for post-acute care of coronavirus patients.
The unit will house patients who have stabilized in order to make more room in local hospitals.The patients will be isolated in the special unit.
In a statement, Dr. Paul Shields, medical director for Elderwood at Amherst, said that they know that some facilities will need to step up to alleviate the pressure on the hospital system. READ MORE HERE
Six Flags Darien Lake will delay opening
Six Flags Darien Lake announced Monday that they will delay its opening day and plans to open until at least mid-May.
Season pass holders will have their passes extended for the number of operational days the park is closed, and members will receive an additional month for each month the park remains closed, as well as a free member level upgrade for the rest of the season. For more information about Darien Lake's response to the coronavirus, click here.
Buffalo Museum of Science hosting virtual science fair
The Buffalo Museum of Science may be closed due to social distancing, but there is still plenty of learning happening on its Facebook page.
The Museum and the Tifft Nature Preserve recently launched a virtual science fair to keep kids busy while they're home from school. Each day, they post a different activity for kids and parents to do with items you likely already have at home. Then, they ask families to post the results of their projects using the hashtag #ScienceBuff." READ MORE HERE
PUSH Buffalo cancels April rent for its low-income, commercial tenants
PUSH Buffalo announced Monday they are taking immediate emergency action to cancel the April rent for its low income and commercial tenants.
The action is a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) crisis happening right now in New York State and the rest of the country.
The organization announced the cancellation and forgiveness of April rent payments for all PUSH Buffalo residential and commercial tenants, which will impact 99 residential and five commercial tenants. READ MORE HERE
