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Finger Lakes COVID-19 infection rate tops 9%

Centers for Disease Control
/
cdc.gov

The COVID-19 positivity rate for the Finger Lakes region is now over 9%.

That information was contained in a daily press release issued by Governor Kathy Hochul’s office on Saturday. It lists the Finger Lakes, which includes the Rochester area, as having a 7-day average positivity rate of 9.41% as of Friday.

That is the 2nd highest infection rate of any region in the state. Only Western NY (the Buffalo) area is higher, at 10.15%.

The most recent infection rate for Monroe County on the county’s COVID-19 dashboard (which was updated midday on Friday), was 7.9%.

Hochul said on Saturday that, "With the emergence of the Omicron variant abroad and warning signs of spikes in cases this winter, the need for basic COVID safety procedures here in New York is more important than ever."

She again urged New Yorkers to get vaccinated and get their booster if eligible as soon as possible.

As part of ongoing efforts to ramp up booster distribution, the governor is now requiring New York State nursing home and adult care facility operators and administrators to make booster doses available to all of their residents.

On Friday, Hochul announced steps to boost hospital capacity and address staffing shortages in advance of potential spikes in COVID-19 cases this upcoming winter.

Randy Gorbman is WXXI's director of news and public affairs. Randy manages the day-to-day operations of WXXI News on radio, television, and online.