Coronavirus Updates for Dec. 28: New & Active Cases in Westchester, Putnam Drop Amid Holiday Weekend
Active cases of coronavirus on Sunday almost fell below 8,000 in Westchester County for the first time since Dec. 8.
Following an expected surge of cases reported in early-to-mid December, cases of COVID-19 have continued to fluctuate over the past two weeks, resulting in active cases steadily declining. Westchester now has 8,000 active cases of coronavirus, state data shows.
The daily test positivity rate is 5.18 percent, according to the state tracker, which is based on 8,332 tests taken on Friday. Overall, there have been 1.3 million COVID-19 tests administered in Westchester County since March.
Coronavirus cases increased by 432 on Sunday, bringing the total number of positive cases to 66,837 since the start of the pandemic.
The county reported four more deaths, resulting in a total of 1,643 COVID-19-related fatalities since March, according to the state tracker. This week 43 people have died from the virus, state data shows.
As of Dec. 21, there were about 367 virus patients in Westchester hospitals, a number that has wavered but remained relatively consistent over the last two weeks.
Putnam County’s total caseload has reached 4,516 according to the state, with 38 additional positive cases recorded on Sunday. The county’s daily positivity rate is 5.16 percent, with 737 tests administered Friday, state data shows.
Putnam currently has 773 active cases.
There have been 66 coronavirus-related deaths in Putnam. No new deaths were reported on Sunday.
Statewide there were 7,623 new positive cases on Sunday, according to the state tracker. The daily positivity rate is 5.85 percent.
The state recorded 115 additional COVID-19-related fatalities, bringing the death toll to 29,511 since March.
Total hospitalizations are at 7,183, an increase of 299 over the previous day, according to state data. Across New York there have been 922,145 positive coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic.
Here are the latest updates on Dec. 28
Free COVID-19 tests are available to community members at Northern Westchester Hospital’s Center for Healthy Living, located at 480 Bedford Road in Chappaqua, next to Whole Foods. With maximum safety measures in place to prevent exposure, health officials are only requesting residents schedule an appointment prior to arrival.
No prescription will be required during the no-cost appointment, and results will be given within one to three days of taking the test.
Health officials are asking those to be aware of any symptoms relating to the virus, including fever, chills, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, or new loss of taste or smell. Other symptoms include, sore throat, congestion, runny nose, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.
State law also requires those traveling out of the state for more than 24-hours to test for the virus upon their return. The mandate states travelers must obtain a test within three days of departure, prior to arrival in New York, and must, upon arrival to New York, quarantine for three days.
On day four of their quarantine, the traveler must obtain another COVID test. If both tests come back negative, the traveler may exit quarantine.
Click here to make an appointment or call the Center for Healthy Living at 914-223-1780.
Westchester Active Coronavirus Cases by Municipality
Here are the active cases by municipality in Westchester as of Friday. 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 – 20
- Bedford – 113
- Briarcliff Manor – 48
- Bronxville – 14
- Buchanan – 17
- Cortlandt – 233
- Croton-on-Hudson – 81
- Dobbs Ferry – 107
- Eastchester – 200
- Elmsford – 58
- Greenburgh – 346
- Harrison – 235
- Hastings-on-Hudson – 37
- Irvington – 25
- Larchmont – 32
- Lewisboro – 50
- Mamaroneck Town – 57
- Mamaroneck Village – 208
- Mount Kisco – 152
- Mount Pleasant – 274
- Mount Vernon – 429
- New Castle – 96
- New Rochelle – 694
- North Castle – 123
- North Salem – 38
- Ossining Town – 38
- Ossining Village – 303
- Peekskill – 302
- Pelham – 60
- Pelham Manor – 45
- Pleasantville – 56
- Port Chester – 325
- Pound Ridge – 14
- Rye Brook – 94
- Rye City – 83
- Scarsdale – 86
- Sleepy Hollow – 101
- Somers – 117
- Tarrytown – 88
- Tuckahoe – 44
- White Plains – 543
- Yonkers – 1,731
- Yorktown – 336
School News & Business Closures
Business Closures
- In Peekskill, Factoria, River Outpost, and Fin & Brew will be closed for the winter out of an abundance of caution with coronavirus cases rapidly increasing locally. Restaurants will reopen on March 15.
School Closures
- Carmel Central School District will transition to remote learning through Jan. 8.
- Brewster Central School District will be on a remote learning schedule through Jan. 8
- White Plains Public School will be on remote learning through Jan. 8
- Greenburgh Central School District has transitioned all schools to remote learning through Jan. 11.
- Peekskill City School District will close and shift to virtual learning through Jan. 4.
- Mahopac Central School District will transition to virtual learning until January.
- Lakeland Central School District will shift to its fully remote model starting Thursday through Jan. 19.
