Coronavirus Updates for Jan. 6: Westchester County Reports Over 600 New Cases, Putnam’s Active Caseload Exceeds 1,000

Coronavirus cases increased by 619 in Westchester County on Tuesday, bringing the total number of positive cases to 73,381 since the start of the pandemic.

The county reported nine more deaths, resulting in a total of 1,692 COVID-19-related fatalities since March, according to the state tracker. This week 15 people have died from the virus, state data shows.

There are currently 9,472 active cases, a significant increase over last week that resembles the number of active cases reported last spring during the height of the pandemic. According to County Executive George Latimer, active cases reached a peak of about 12,000 in April before slowly declining.

The daily positivity rate is currently 6.97 percent. That percentage is based on 8,878 tests taken on Sunday, state data shows.  Overall, there have been over 1.46 million COVID-19 tests administered in Westchester since March.

As of Jan. 2, there are 455 virus patients in Westchester hospitals, an increase of about 63 over the last week. A month prior, the county reported 244 hospitalizations.

Putnam County’s total caseload has reached 5,235, with 73 additional positive cases recorded on Tuesday. The county’s daily positivity rate is 10.40 percent, with 702 tests administered Sunday.

Putnam currently has 1,004 active cases. 

There have been 67 coronavirus-related deaths in Putnam. No new deaths were reported on Tuesday.

Statewide there were 12,666 new positive cases on Tuesday. The daily positivity rate is 8.31 percent.

The state recorded 149 additional COVID-19-related fatalities, bringing the death toll to 30,802 since March.

Total hospitalizations are at 8,590, an increase of 339 over the previous day. Across New York there have been 1,041,028 positive coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic.

Here are the latest updates on Jan. 6

With the United Kingdom’s new COVID strain detected in New York, Gov. Andrew Cuomo continued to encourage people on Tuesday during a press briefing to remain vigilant and follow all safety protocols. He said the new variant of the virus could be a “game-changer.”

On Monday, it was confirmed a 60-year-old man from Saratoga County tested positive for the new strain. The individual had no known history of travel, Cuomo said.

The strain, which has also been found in California, Florida, Georgia and Colorado, is thought to be 70 percent more transmissible but doesn’t appear to make people more ill.

“Even if the lethality doesn’t go up, the fact that it is so much more transmittable is a very real problem and makes it as important as every that New Yorkers stay smart,” Cuomo said. “New York is doing everything it can to not only ensure that the vaccine is being distributed as quickly and fairly as possible, but to also ensure we are prepared for widespread vaccinations of the general public once they are eligible.”

While doses of the COVID vaccine have been distributed to thousands of essential workers, Cuomo called on the federal government to test those traveling from outside the United States. Currently, New York has mandated all international travelers flying into state airports test negative prior to boarding.

With the UK strain identified in 33 countries, Cuomo pressed that the federal government has yet to learn from mistakes made last Spring when the virus wreaked havoc on millions of Americans.

“The UK strain of the virus remains highly problematic – it is here and it could complicate matters further, as it is much more transmissible. Despite all of this, the federal government continues its refusal to test all international travelers entering the country,” Cuomo said. “Government is supposed to be competent, government leaders are supposed to be competent. We already saw this situation play out in the spring – have we learned nothing?” 

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 – 34
• Bedford – 125
• Briarcliff Manor – 41
• Bronxville – 40
• Buchanan – 33
• Cortlandt – 361
• Croton-on-Hudson – 98
• Dobbs Ferry – 79
• Eastchester – 207
• Elmsford – 59
• Greenburgh – 326
• Harrison – 245
• Hastings-on-Hudson – 46
• Irvington – 34
• Larchmont – 50
• Lewisboro – 53
• Mamaroneck Town – 74
• Mamaroneck Village – 263
• Mount Kisco – 95
• Mount Pleasant – 218
• Mount Vernon – 465
• New Castle – 69
• New Rochelle – 811
• North Castle – 92
• North Salem – 43
• Ossining Town – 59
• Ossining Village – 316
• Peekskill – 360
• Pelham – 56
• Pelham Manor – 71
• Pleasantville – 47
• Port Chester – 349
• Pound Ridge – 27
• Rye Brook – 91
• Rye City – 146
• Scarsdale – 59
• Sleepy Hollow – 199
• Somers – 192
• Tarrytown – 105
• Tuckahoe – 59
• White Plains – 570
• Yonkers – 2,282
• Yorktown – 457

School News & Business Closures 

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
• Croton Harmon Schools will be remote through Jan. 8
• Yorktown Central School District will be on a remote learning schedule through Jan. 8
• 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.