Onondaga County officials on Tuesday confirmed the county’s first death related to the novel coronavirus.

The patient was elderly, and had been hospitalized, County Health Commissioner Indu Gupta said in a press release. County officials will not be releasing additional information about the patient due to medical privacy, Gupta said.

“This sad news proves how important it is to take measures to protect ourselves, our families, and our community,” Gupta said.

The novel coronavirus causes COVID-19, a respiratory disease that has infected over 420,000 people and killed over 18,800 globally. New York state has confirmed over 25,660 cases of the virus.

Onondaga County has confirmed 60 cases of COVID-19 in total, 18 of which are in Syracuse, County Executive Ryan McMahon said in a briefing Tuesday afternoon. The county has confirmed 7 new cases since yesterday. 

The county has received over 1,300 COVID-19 test results, 4.5% of which have come back positive, McMahon said. Eight patients in Onondaga County are hospitalized with COVID-19, and three patients are in critical condition. 

Officials are now waiting for about 800 new results due to a recent surge in testing at the Syracuse Community Health Center triage site, McMahon said.

Nearly 30% of the county’s cases are individuals under the age of 30, including 3 cases of people under the age of 19, McMahon said. People under the age of 60 make up 72% of cases in the county.

“The data proves that nobody’s immune to this virus,” McMahon said. “I think this is a sobering reality for everyone.”

Despite social distancing practices in effect in Onondaga County, officials have identified eight cases connected through individual social interaction, he said.

The county health department begins investigating the public interactions of people who test positive for COVID-19 as soon as the case is confirmed, McMahon said. The department notifies the public of possible exposure risks only when there are gaps in the investigations, he said. 

Officials are now reaching out to congregants at Bethany Baptist Church in Syracuse who may have been exposed to COVID-19 through an attendee who has tested positive, McMahon said.

A team of 41 people in the county health department, with the available assistance of medical volunteers, are currently focused on the COVID-19 public exposure investigations, McMahon said. Increasingly faster return times for test results have also aided county efforts to address the disease’s spread, he said. 

Testing turnaround times will vary depending on factors that are at times beyond the control of county officials, he said.

“We sympathize with you that you don’t have the results back,” McMahon said. “We’re sorry about that. But we don’t control the marketplace. We don’t control the demands of these labs.”

With hospitals in New York City overwhelmed with COVID-19 cases, McMahon acknowledged the possibility that hospitals in central New York could also be asked to take in other patients. 

McMahon during the briefing dispelled rumors that the county was implementing an evening transportation curfew. He also announced that all Centro public transit rides are now free for anyone to use. Ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft are also operating in the county, he said.

He also thanked volunteers who are now aiding the county’s response to the health crisis.

“We know this is difficult,” McMahon said. “I’m very proud of all of you and I’m very proud of the way this community is rallying,” McMahon said.

Published on March 24, 2020 at 10:35 pm

Contact Marnie: ammunozc@syr.edu