Coronavirus Updates for Jan. 10: Active Cases Continue to Soar in Westchester County, Putnam; New COVID Strain Results in More Confirmed Cases

Coronavirus cases in Westchester County increased by 853 on Saturday, bringing the total number of positive cases to 76,942 since the start of the pandemic.

There are now 10,537 active cases, with the daily positivity rate currently 6.78 percent, according to state data. That percentage is based on 12,578 tests taken on Thursday. Overall, there have been over 1.5 million COVID-19 tests administered in Westchester since March, state data shows.

The county reported eight more deaths, resulting in a total of 1,721 COVID-19-related fatalities since March, according to the state tracker. This week 44 people have died from the virus, state data shows.

As of Tuesday, there are 491 virus patients in Westchester hospitals.

Putnam County’s total caseload has reached 5,645, with 94 additional positive cases recorded on Saturday. While this is the first time in two days the county hasn’t seen cases exceed 100, Putnam currently has a three-day total of 325 cases, state data shows.

The county’s daily positivity rate is 9.22 percent, with 1,019 tests administered Thursday, according to state data. Putnam currently has 1,167 active cases.

There have been 68 coronavirus-related deaths in Putnam since the pandemic began. No new deaths were reported on Saturday.

Statewide there were 16,943 new positive cases on Saturday. The daily positivity rate is 6.57 percent.

The state recorded 188 additional COVID-19-related fatalities, bringing the death toll to 31,519 since March.

Total hospitalizations are at 8,527, a decrease of 34 over the previous day. Across New York there have been 1,111,087 positive coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic.

Here are the latest updates on Jan. 10

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Saturday that three additional cases of the United Kingdom strain of the COVID-19 virus have been identified in New York, bringing the total to four. The first case was detected in a Saratoga County man on Jan. 4.

Two of the new cases are connected to the Saratoga Springs exposure, while the third has been traced back to an individual living in Massapequa, Nassau County.

Cuomo urged that the UK strain is real and frightening. According to health officials, the variant is 70 percent more transmissible but doesn’t make you sicker.

“There’s no mystery as to how it got here – it got on a plane and flew here from Europe, just like the original strain did,” Cuomo said. “Yet, the federal government continues to refuse to learn from the spring and mandate testing for all international travelers. Their failure to act means the rest of us need to be that much more vigilant in our work to stop the spread, as well as do all we can to accelerate the distribution of the vaccine.”

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There will be a COVID testing event on Monday and Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Jefferson Village Community Center annex building on Hill Blvd in Yorktown. Registration is required and tests are free. 

To sign up, CLICK HERE.

While online registration is recommended, those needing additional assistance can also call 914-995-7425 during normal business hours.

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Starting Monday, New York State will begin scheduling vaccinations for the Phase 1B group. The next category of people eligible to receive the vaccine include:

• People aged 75 and up
• Education workers: Pre-K through 12 teachers and education workers, licensed and registered childcare providers, and school bus drivers.
• First responders: Local police, state police, sheriff’s office employees, professional and volunteer firefighters.
• Professional and volunteer EMS workers
• Public transit workers: airline and airport personnel, passenger railroad employees, subway and mass transit workers, ferry employees, Port Authority personnel, and public bus drivers.
• Public safety workers

With the next phase to begin, Cuomo estimates about 3.2 million additional New Yorkers will now become eligible. However, with limited supply of the vaccine as the federal government fails to increase the amount provided to New York, Cuomo said it will take about 14 weeks, or until roughly Apr. 16, to vaccinate Phase 1B and the remainder of Phase 1A.

Currently, 2.1 million residents in group 1A have been eligible to receive the vaccine.

“We are establishing a network of thousands of providers statewide to both supplement the work of hospitals to vaccinate health care workers, as well as begin the vaccination of other essential workers and individuals 75 and older,” Cuomo said. “The federal government controls the supply, so as we continue to receive more, New York will not only ensure doses are distributed in the most fair and socially equitable way possible, but that health care workers continue to be prioritized so our hospitals remain safe and staffed.”

Cuomo pressed his team is currently in communication with the incoming Biden administration on the issue of supply.

Westchester Active Coronavirus Cases by Municipality 

Here are the active cases by municipality in Westchester as of Saturday. 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 – 29
• Bedford – 160
• Briarcliff Manor – 61
• Bronxville – 64
• Buchanan – 46
• Cortlandt – 408
• Croton-on-Hudson – 89
• Dobbs Ferry – 100
• Eastchester – 224
• Elmsford – 58
• Greenburgh – 437
• Harrison – 275
• Hastings-on-Hudson – 53
• Irvington – 30
• Larchmont – 45
• Lewisboro – 62
• Mamaroneck Town – 84
• Mamaroneck Village – 269
• Mount Kisco – 103
• Mount Pleasant – 215
• Mount Vernon – 567
• New Castle – 87
• New Rochelle – 888
• North Castle – 110
• North Salem – 48
• Ossining Town – 56
• Ossining Village – 398
• Peekskill – 419
• Pelham – 59
• Pelham Manor – 68
• Pleasantville – 51
• Port Chester – 420
• Pound Ridge – 34
• Rye Brook – 108
• Rye City – 154
• Scarsdale – 77
• Sleepy Hollow – 211
• Somers – 218
• Tarrytown – 143
• Tuckahoe – 71
• White Plains – 702
• Yonkers – 2,486
• Yorktown – 515

School News & Business Closures 

School Closures

• Greenburgh Central School District has transitioned all schools to remote learning through Jan. 11.
• Lakeland Central School District will shift to its fully remote model starting Thursday through Jan. 19.

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.