Coronavirus Updates for Dec. 3: Vaccine Distribution Announced as Westchester, Putnam Caseload Continues to Jump

Three more COVID-19-related deaths were reported in Westchester County on Wednesday, as the areas coronavirus caseload increased by 570, state data shows.

The county has reported five deaths so far this week, resulting in a total of 1,520 coronavirus fatalities since March, according to state data. There were 42 deaths logged in Westchester last month.

The total number of positive coronavirus cases has risen to 51,790 since the start of the pandemic. Overall, more than 1.1 million tests have been given since March, with 10,852 individuals tested on Wednesday, state data shows.

The daily positive infection rate is 5.25 percent.

There are currently 6,455 active coronavirus cases, a number that has more than quadrupled over the last month. As of Saturday, there were 244 virus patients in Westchester hospitals, officials said.

Putnam County’s total caseload has reached 2,973, according to the state, with 89 additional positive cases accounted for on Wednesday. The county’s daily positivity rate is 8.59 percent of 1,036 tests, state data shows, with 677 active cases recorded.

There have been 64 coronavirus-related deaths in Putnam. No new deaths were reported on Wednesday.

Statewide there were 8,973 new positive cases on Wednesday, a 1,688 increase over the previous day, according to the state tracker. The daily positivity rate is now 4.63 percent.

The state recorded 69 additional COVID-19-related fatalities, bringing the death toll to 26,889 since March.

Total hospitalizations are at 3,924, according to state data. Across the state there has been a total of 664,238 positive coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic.

Here are the latest updates on Dec. 3

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Wednesday that New York State will receive an initial delivery of enough COVID-19 vaccine doses for 170,000 residents. Upon approval by the FDA, that state expects to receive the vaccines created by Pfizer on Dec. 15.

Additional allocations of vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are expected to arrive later this month, Cuomo said.

“As we continue to move through the holiday season, the good new is that there is a light at the end of the tunnel, but unfortunately it is still a ways away and we are now faced with a set of challenges to overcome before we get there,” Cuomo said. “Not only is the number of COVID-19 cases rising virtually everywhere, but they are stemming from a new source, with nearly 70 percent of cases being traced back to households and private gatherings.”

Cuomo urged residents to continue following safety protocols, washing your hands, wearing a mask, social distancing and avoiding any large gatherings.

County Executive George Latimer will host a ceremony today at 2 p.m. at the county office building on 148 Martine Avenue in White Plains to honor the 1,520 residents who have died of COVID-19.

“Westchester County residents are a resilient people, but we are still reeling from the toll COVID-19 has taken on our neighbors,” Latimer said. “This memorial serves as a reminder of all we have lost as we all must continue to move forward through this pandemic.”

In May, Latimer unveiled a new memorial – Ribbons of Remembrance – dedicated to those who lost their battle to the virus. The memorial overlooks the Hudson River at Lenoir Nature Preserve in Yonkers.

The ceremony, which was originally planned at the park, is moved inside due to winter weather.

The full ceremony can be viewed at https://www.facebook.com/westchestergov/ or https://twitter.com/westchestergov

School News & Closures 

After a Fox Lane Middle School staff member tested positive for COVID-19, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Joel Adelberg said any child in 6E hybrid one that was in school on Monday and/or Tuesday may have been directly exposed to the virus. For safety, students in 6E hybrid one should quarantine now, he said.

Due to the amount of 6E teachers now in quarantine, all 6E students will learn remotely from home for the remainder of the week.

Additionally, Mr. Capone’s period 8 hybrid one class and the students in the SAIL III class may have also been exposed to the virus, with students also advised to quarantine. With contact tracing underway, the district will be in touch with those requiring quarantining today.

All other Middle School students in hybrid two are expected to report to school, Adelberg said.

With Ossining designated a COVID-19 hotspot, the Ossining Union Free School District is now required to test 20 percent of students, teachers, and staff members in each school building to remain open for in-person learning. Currently, the yellow zone designation only applies to Park Elementary School, Claremont Elementary School and Ossining High School.

Superintendent Dr. Ray Sanchez said 400 students and staff members have been tested over the last two days, with Open Door Family Medical Center testing approximately 150 students. Of the staff and students tested, seven came back positive, Sanchez said.

While the district met its 20 percent testing requirement at Park and Claremont, Ossining High School is still behind, Sanchez said, adding that the district will continue testing high school students today from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. As a result, the high school will be fully remote for the rest of the week.

“If we do not meet the requirement by December 9^th, we will have no choice but to go 100% remote,” Sanchez said. “In the near future, we also intend to test students at Brookside, Roosevelt, and AMD.”

School Closures

• Peekskill City School District will close and shift to virtual learning through Jan. 4.
• Ossining High School will be fully remote for the rest of the week.
• Somers Intermediate School will provide remote learning for Grade 5 through Dec. 7 due to a number of teachers and staff in quarantine.
• Kent Primary School will be fully remote through Dec. 8.
• Lakeland High School will be fully remote through Dec. 4.

Westchester Active Coronavirus Cases by Municipality 

Here are the active cases by municipality in Westchester as of Tuesday. 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 – 25
• Bedford – 107
• Briarcliff Manor – 41
• Bronxville – 28
• Buchanan – 10
• Cortlandt – 139
• Croton-on-Hudson – 30
• Dobbs Ferry – 36
• Eastchester – 127
• Elmsford – 44
• Greenburgh – 189
• Harrison – 135
• Hastings-on-Hudson – 17
• Irvington – 21
• Larchmont – 19
• Lewisboro – 71
• Mamaroneck Town – 36
• Mamaroneck Village – 152
• Mount Kisco – 112
• Mount Pleasant – 91
• Mount Vernon – 329
• New Castle – 46
• New Rochelle – 488
• North Castle – 53
• North Salem – 39
• Ossining Town – 18
• Ossining Village – 261
• Peekskill – 153
• Pelham – 34
• Pelham Manor – 20
• Pleasantville – 40
• Port Chester – 222
• Pound Ridge – 17
• Rye Brook – 57
• Rye City – 82
• Scarsdale – 43
• Sleepy Hollow – 93
• Somers – 93
• Tarrytown – 61
• Tuckahoe – 26
• White Plains – 265
• Yonkers – 977
• Yorktown – 159

If your business or school district may have been exposed to COVID-19, please email ayoung@theexaminernews.com to be placed on our daily COVID-19 list.