As Thanksgiving nears, Covid-19 numbers in Onondaga County are as bad as last winter – syracuse.com

Syracuse, N.Y. -- More Onondaga County residents are hospitalized for Covid-19 than at any time since early February, County Executive Ryan McMahon announced today.

Deaths this month are far ahead of the pace of a year ago, and newly confirmed cases of the disease continue to surge, McMahon said in his Monday briefing on Twitter.

The numbers are higher than a year ago, just as the deadly Covid-19 surge began to accelerate.

McMahon said that:

* Local hospitals have 123 Covid-19 patients today. Thats the highest since Feb. 3, when there were 125. A year ago, it was 102, and would reach a peak of 336, on Dec. 28.

Of those hospitalized, 25 are in the intensive care unit.

* Four more people died of the respiratory disease over the past three days, bringing Novembers total to 38. Thats far ahead of the pace of November 2020, when 10 people had died at the same point.

McMahon said the recent deaths were a man in his 70s and three women, one each in their 50s, 70s and 90s.

Since the pandemic began in early 2020, 846 Onondaga County residents have died of Covid-19.

* Cases are surging. Over the past week, the county confirmed 1,677 new cases. Thats 55% higher than the first week of November.

McMahon urged county residents to get vaccinated and to get booster shots if eligible. He said the county is also offering rapid testing for people with no symptoms who want to get tested before visiting relatives. Those clinics are 9 to 11:30 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday in the lobby of the Civic Center, 421 Montgomery St., Syracuse. You can sign up for the free testing at the countys appointment website.

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As Thanksgiving nears, Covid-19 numbers in Onondaga County are as bad as last winter - syracuse.com