Active COVID-19 Cases in Westchester County Drop Below 10,000; Death Toll Rises

Cases of coronavirus and daily testing dropped dramatically in Westchester & Putnam counties on Wednesday, but it is likely the sudden shift is attributed to the two-day nor’easter that walloped the Hudson Valley with about 24 inches of snow. 

Coronavirus cases in Westchester County increased by 339 on Wednesday, the lowest daily tally the county has seen since Nov. 24. There have been total number of 95,642 positive cases since the start of the pandemic.

There are now 9,919, a decrease of 364 over the previous day, state data shows. This is the first time since early January active cases have dipped below 10,000.

The county’s daily positivity rate is 5.91 percent with 5,737 tests administered Monday. Overall, over 1.8 million COVID-19 tests have been dispensed in Westchester since March.

The county reported 11 more deaths on Wednesday, bringing the COVID-19-related death toll to 1,938, according to the state tracker. There have been 44 virus deaths this week, with 263 fatalities since Jan. 1.

As of Wednesday, there are 571 virus patients in Westchester hospitals, a number that has remained steady over the last three weeks.

Putnam County’s total caseload reached 7,432, with nine additional positive cases recorded on Wednesday, state data shows, the lowest daily tally since Nov. 3. The county’s daily positivity rate is 3.06 percent, with 294 tests administered on Monday.

Putnam currently has 856 active cases, a decrease of 46 over the previous day.

One more coronavirus-related death was reported on Wednesday, raising the death toll to 82 since March. This week one person has died from the virus, with 15 overall fatalities since the start of 2021.

Statewide there were 5,925 new positive cases on Wednesday, with the daily positivity rate clocking in at 4.68 percent, state data shows.

There were 160 additional COVID-19-related fatalities, bringing the death toll to 35,631.

Statewide hospitalizations stand at 8,082, an increase of 15 over the previous day. Across New York there have been 1,433,304 positive coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic.

Vaccine Update

With Gov. Andrew Cuomo granting local governments the power to expand the vaccine eligibility group to restaurant workers, professional drivers and developmentally disabled facilities, Westchester County Executive George Latimer said officials are working to survey just how many people in each industry want to be immunized. 

Latimer added that the county is working with state officials to create pop-up vaccination sites throughout the county to expedite the process. One is scheduled at the Kiley Youth Center in Peekskill on Saturday, but appointments are not available to the general public.

The more doses of the vaccine the county has, the more groups that can be authorized to receive it, Latimer said. 

As of Wednesday, New York’s health care distribution sites have received 1,554,450 first doses and administered 92 percent of those or 1,432,195. Seventy-seven percent of first and second doses have been administered.

On Tuesday, the county government has directly administered 24,825 vaccines to eligible residents, Latimer said, with 20,057 individuals inoculated since the County Center became a distribution site on Jan. 13. The county health department has immunized 4,767 people, he said.

Click HERE to see if you’re eligible to make an appointment. 

Westchester Active Coronavirus Cases by Municipality 

Here are the active cases by municipality in Westchester as of Wednesday. With a lag between the total number of cases confirmed by the state and the tally of cases by town, the total number of municipal cases might be slightly different than what the county’s active cases reflects.

• Ardsley – 32
• Bedford – 136
• Briarcliff Manor – 47
• Bronxville – 50
• Buchanan – 17
• Cortlandt – 279
• Croton-on-Hudson – 41
• Dobbs Ferry – 88
• Eastchester – 174
• Elmsford – 45
• Greenburgh – 357
• Harrison – 175
• Hastings-on-Hudson – 61
• Irvington – 48
• Larchmont – 50
• Lewisboro – 57
• Mamaroneck Town – 80
• Mamaroneck Village – 162
• Mount Kisco – 98
• Mount Pleasant – 208
• Mount Vernon – 776
• New Castle – 61
• New Rochelle – 849
• North Castle – 99
• North Salem – 29
• Ossining Town – 66
• Ossining Village – 305
• Peekskill – 286
• Pelham – 61
• Pelham Manor – 44
• Pleasantville – 64
• Port Chester – 295
• Pound Ridge – 19
• Rye Brook – 56
• Rye City – 101
• Scarsdale – 86
• Sleepy Hollow – 173
• Somers – 158
• Tarrytown – 132
• Tuckahoe – 68
• White Plains – 586
• Yonkers – 2,521
• Yorktown – 351