Onondaga County reports 26th COVID-19 death, warns of exposure at two area retailers

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon on Monday confirmed a 26th COVID-19 death during his daily coronavirus briefing at the Oncenter.

The county’s Health Department also warned customers about possible exposure on recent days at the Walmart store in East Syracuse and the Target store in Clay.

COVID-19 death

The county’s latest virus victim was a woman in her 70s who had underlying medical conditions, McMahon said to open his remarks.

“Needless to say, our thoughts and prayers are with her and her family,” he said.

McMahon also reported that Onondaga County now has 819 cases of COVID-19, up from 798 on Sunday.

Those with infections include 40 people in a hospital, down two from Sunday. Of those hospitalized, 10 are in critical condition, no change from Sunday.

McMahon also reported that 518 people have recovered from COVID-19 in the county. So, it currently has 275 active virus cases.

Possible Walmart, Target exposure

The Onondaga County Health Department has confirmed that employees at area stores of two major retailers have tested positive for COVID-19. Members of the public who visited the following stores on these days and times may have been exposed:

Target, Route 31 in Clay

• Sunday, April 19 between 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
• Monday, April 20 between 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.
• Tuesday, April 21 between 7:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.

Walmart, 6438 Basile Rowe in East Syracuse

• Tuesday, April 21 between 4:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 22 between 3:00 p.m. and 10:30 p.m.

Both individuals were wearing face masks during their shifts, and both businesses are “continually adhering to CDC guidelines to protect the health of their customers,” the department said.

“Health Department investigators are in the process of identifying all close contacts of the individuals and notifying them,” Onondaga County Health Commissioner Dr. Indu Gupta said. “Anyone who visited these stores during the identified time periods should monitor themselves for symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever, cough, and/or difficulty breathing for 14 days after they visited the store. If symptoms do develop, stay home and call your doctor for further guidance about testing. If you are elderly, have underlying medical conditions, or are immunocompromised, call your doctor early even if your illness is mild. In an emergency call 911.”