Onondaga County reports 50 more COVID-19 cases after 70 the day before

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon on Thursday reported 50 additional COVID-19 cases to bring the county’s total number of infections to 5,251.

The county had reported 70 cases on Wednesday, representing the largest number of cases in a single day.

McMahon also foreshadowed that “[Friday will have] the highest case number out of any day we’ve had in the pandemic,” based on the advance data he has seen. The county executive spoke during his Thursday coronavirus briefing at the Oncenter.

Thursday’s additional cases include four from traveling (one to Pennsylvania, two to Virginia, and one from another part of the state); 12 household contacts; and 31 related to community spread, including 15 from a known source.

McMahon said that the increase in infections isn’t the result of local colleges and universities or the local schools; the spike is the result of community spread, “which is the rest of us.” It has him “very, very concerned” about Halloween weekend and the potential gatherings that could happen.

“The challenge is that we’re experiencing a seasonal shift now and for us to avoid a second wave, which then jeopardizes our hospital infrastructure and our ability to treat our sick, we have to start modifying some of our behavior now,” the county executive said.

Of those dealing with the virus, 26 are recovering in a hospital, including five in the intensive-care unit, McMahon said.

McMahon reported receipt of 5,376 tests since Wednesday. The seven-day rolling average for a COVID-19 positivity rate is 1 percent, he noted.

Onondaga County didn’t have any deaths since Wednesday, so the county’s death toll remains at 212 since the pandemic began.