A New Study Shows Benefit of COVID-19 Vaccine – Oswego County

March 28, 2022

OSWEGO COUNTY The Oswego County Health Department announced that an additional 531 residents tested positive for COVID-19 from Monday, March 21 through Sunday, March 27. This includes results from lab-confirmed tests and at-home tests.

COVID-19 virus activity has increased in our county, said Oswego County Public Health Director Jiancheng Huang. The total new cases in the past seven days are more than the previous 14 days (March 7 to 20) all together.

He added, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that Omicron BA.2 has become the dominant variant in the northeastern U.S., including New York State. According to a recent study on the vaccine and the Omicron variant (https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.03.13.22272308v1), it was reported that vaccine protection against COVID-19 hospitalization and death is strong and durable after the second dose, but it is more robust after a booster dose. We ask all eligible individuals to get vaccinated or boosted to help protect our more vulnerable populations.

The following report reflects data collected from Monday, March 21 through Sunday, March 27:

An additional 20 Oswego County residents were hospitalized due to COVID-19 between Sunday, March 20 and Saturday, March 26, according to the hospitalization report received by the Oswego County Health Department. New hospitalization numbers are not part of a running total of hospitalizations. For hospitalization details such as age groups and vaccination status, go to the Oswego County COVID-19 Dashboard at https://oswegogis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/dashboards/3fd162cd12264b418dc03bdebd7f5300.

The Oswego County Health Department holds weekly COVID-19 vaccination clinics and vaccines are also available at local pharmacies and health care provider offices. Face masks are required at all clinics and at-home COVID-19 test kits will be distributed to those getting vaccinated at a County clinic while supplies last.

Go to health.oswegocounty.com/vaccines for a full list of upcoming clinics.

The Oswego County Office for the Aging can help people aged 60 and older who need help navigating the internet to make appointments. Call 315-349-3484.

Free transportation is provided to residents to go to COVID-19 testing and vaccination sites through a partnership between Oswego County and Oswego County Opportunities, Inc. Rides are available between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. Monday through Friday. Call 315-598-1514 to schedule a ride in advance.

Oswego County Medical Director Christian Liepke, M.D. said, While vaccination continues to be our best defense against COVID-19, its also good to know that there are now medicines that have received emergency use authorization from the FDA and the CDC for the treatment of the virus. People who test positive for COVID-19 should contact their primary care provider right away to find out if they meet certain eligibility criteria to begin treatment.

Oswego County developed a portal for residents to report positive at-home COVID-19 test results, exposure to the virus and get the necessary isolation/quarantine paperwork for schools and employers. Go to https://health.oswegocounty.com/COVID-19 and click on the appropriate link.

Test results received from doctors offices, pharmacies and other testing sites DO NOT need to be self-reported. However, if isolation orders are needed for school, employers or other reasons, people can request these documents using the portals Report a Positive (Laboratory) Test option.

The health department encourages residents who test positive to immediately notify any close contacts. The close contact should then go to the States website at https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/new-york-state-contact-tracing to find out if they meet the criteria for quarantine. If they do, they should report the exposure on the County Health Departments online portal.

Residents are urged to continue taking precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 including:

For more information, go to the Oswego County Health Departments COVID-19 page at https://health.oswegocounty.com/COVID-19 or call its COVID-19 Hotline at 315-349-3330. Callers may need to leave a message and a staff member will return the call.

Residents should also contact their medical providers directly for personal medical advice about COVID-19 and vaccinations or booster shots.

For information about emotional supports, visit the Oswego County Department of Social Services Division of Mental Hygiene at http://www.oswegocounty.com/mentalhygiene.

Under New York State Public Health Law, the Oswego County Health Department is the local public health authority regarding the COVID-19 pandemic response within the County of Oswego. The Oswego County Health Department works closely with New York State Department of Health regarding COVID-19 monitoring, response, and reporting.

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A New Study Shows Benefit of COVID-19 Vaccine - Oswego County