Brett Dahlberg

Health reporter and producer

Brett is the health reporter and a producer at WXXI News. He has a master’s degree from the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. Before landing at WXXI, he was an intern at WNYC, and he also produced freelance reporting work focused on health and science in New York City.

Brett grew up in Bremerton, Washington, and holds a bachelor’s degree from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon.

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How to get tested for the novel coronavirus and its antibodies in upstate New York

By Brett Dahlberg • May 22, 2020

Two types of testing for the virus that causes COVID-19 are increasingly accessible in the Rochester area.

One is the test that looks for the virus, allowing doctors to diagnose whether a person is currently infected. The other searches for antibodies, which indicate whether a person was already exposed and fought the virus off.

COVID-19 hospitalizations climb again as Monroe County receives nearly 2,000 test results

By Brett Dahlberg • May 22, 2020

The number of people in hospitals for COVID-19 treatment in Monroe County climbed to a new high for a sixth straight day, according to numbers from the county public health department.

The county also received almost 1,994 diagnostic tests results for the novel coronavirus -- the highest daily return since the county began releasing those numbers at the beginning of this month. Of those results, 70 came back positive.

The ‘wild west’ of coronavirus antibody testing in New York

By Brett Dahlberg • May 22, 2020

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Public health officials around New York say the shortage of diagnostic tests for the novel coronavirus is mostly gone. Now, there's a new kind of test they're concerned about. WXXI's Brett Dahlberg reports.

Both hospital systems in the Rochester area say they now have more supply than demand for their coronavirus lab tests. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said supply was outpacing demand across New York state, and last week the state health department expanded its guidance for who should be tested.

Andy Ophardt, who manages a primary care clinic in Brighton, said he used to field frequent questions from patients asking about how to get tested for the virus. He had to call testing sites to confirm that people his office referred met an exacting set of criteria.

COVID-19 hospitalizations climb to new high again in Monroe County

By Brett Dahlberg • May 21, 2020

The number of people in hospitals for COVID-19 treatment in Monroe County rose to a new high for a fifth straight day on Thursday, according to figures from the county public health department.

There were 157 people in hospitals for the disease on Thursday, the health department said. The number of those people in intensive care units ticked up by one, to 17.

COVID-19 hospitalizations rise and ICU numbers fall again in Monroe County

By Brett Dahlberg • May 20, 2020

The number of people in hospitals for COVID-19 treatment in Monroe County rose to a new high for a fourth straight day, according to figures released Wednesday by the county public health department. But the number of people in intensive care units fell, the data showed.

Fewer COVID-19 patients were in ICUs Wednesday than any day since March 25.

Monroe County ‘on the right track’ for reopening progress, health commissioner says

By Brett Dahlberg • May 19, 2020

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As the Finger Lakes region progresses through the first stage of economic reopening, Monroe County officials say they're watching local data closely. But as WXXI’s Brett Dahlberg reports, the health department says there are some things that are impossible to measure.

Monroe County and the Finger Lakes region are mostly on track to continue reopening the economy, County Public Health Commissioner Dr. Michael Mendoza said Tuesday. But, he also noted some reservations about rising numbers of hospitalized people and signs that distancing practices are not universal.

COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to climb in latest Monroe County data

By Brett Dahlberg • May 18, 2020

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

The number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 in Monroe County climbed to a new high Monday in data from the county public health department.

The numbers have been climbing for the last nine days -- with the exception of Saturday, when they held steady -- even as the Rochester-Finger Lakes region begins to reopen parts of the economy.

The latest figures showed 136 people in a hospital for COVID-19 in the county.

Hundreds sign up to help Monroe County contact tracing effort

By Brett Dahlberg • May 18, 2020

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New York state’s efforts to contain the novel coronavirus and reopen the economy rely heavily on contact tracers. Those are the people who find anyone who was close to a patient with a confirmed case of the virus and tell those contacts to stay isolated. WXXI’s Brett Dahlberg caught up with some of Monroe County’s contact tracers-in-training.

New York state’s efforts to contain the novel coronavirus and reopen the economy rely heavily on contact tracers. Gov. Andrew Cuomo said late last month that the state would need “an army” of people to find anyone who was close to a patient with a confirmed case of the novel coronavirus.

In Monroe County, more than 600 people have signed up to volunteer as contact tracers, said the man leading their training, public health department emergency preparedness specialist Aaron Cignarale.

Rochester nonprofit sets up free COVID-19 early detection sites in minority communities

By Brett Dahlberg • May 17, 2020

Common Ground Health, a Rochester nonprofit organization, began screening people for COVID-19 symptoms at free clinics around the city on Saturday.

The organization stressed that the screenings are not coronavirus tests. Rather, they’re meant to detect early signs of COVID-19 in populations where the disease is taking the greatest toll.

COVID-19 hospitalizations hold steady in Monroe County as health department reports 4 more deaths

By Brett Dahlberg • May 16, 2020

The Monroe County public health department reported Saturday that four more people died of COVID-19 in the county, bringing the total death toll to 171.

The number of people in hospitals for COVID-19 treatment held steady at 119 after increasing for six straight days.

Brett Dahlberg

Ways to Connect

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