The number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment in Monroe County reached a new high of 99 on Tuesday, according to the county public health department. Five more people died of the disease, bringing the county's total to 86.
The county confirmed 39 new cases of the novel coronavirus on Tuesday. The people with confirmed infections included someone under 19 years old and seven people in their 80s or older, according to the health department.
Still, testing for the virus has largely focused on health care workers, first responders, and people hospitalized with symptoms, and the health department has acknowledged that the 1,074 confirmed cases are an undercount of the virus's prevalence in the county.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Tuesday that hospitals in counties with fewer than 10 new hospitalizations for COVID-19 in a 10-day span could resume elective outpatient surgeries. Those surgeries had been suspended to slow the spread of the virus.
The last time Monroe County had fewer than 10 people hospitalized for COVID-19 treatment was March 21.
