BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced Thursday the county's rate of community transmission of COVID-19 is the lowest it has been since August 2021.
Data provided by the Erie County Department of Health for February 23 shows the 7-day average of new cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents is 91. Based on CDC levels of community transmission per 100,000 this case rate moved the county from the "high" transmission category down to the "substantial" transmission category.
ECDOH confirmed 91 new COVID-19 cases for February 23, and 869 total cases over the past 7 days.
— Erie County Department of Health 😷 (@ECDOH) February 24, 2022
Total new cases per 100,000 Erie County residents over the past 7 days: 91. This case rate indicates “substantial COVID-19 transmission” per @CDCgov metrics.
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"Great News! Erie County's rate of community transmission dropped out of the 'high' to 'substantial' risk category with yesterday's data. This is the lowest it has been since August of last year. The 7 day positivity rate also dropped to 3.6%. All are great signs," said Poloncarz.
Great News! Erie County's rate of community transmission dropped out of the "high" to "substantial" risk category with yesterday's data. This is the lowest it has been since August of last year. The 7 day positivity rate also dropped to 3.6%. All are great signs. https://t.co/x2xN6JuJBv
— Mark Poloncarz (@markpoloncarz) February 24, 2022
Niagara County announced Wednesday that it had also dropped below the CDC threshold for "high transmission."
Tuesday, Poloncarz announced the metrics necessary to lift the mask mandate that is in place for Erie County-owned facilities. The data listed above does not yet meet the metrics which can be found below.
- the county’s weekly positivity rate is less than 3% and the county’s seven-day case rate has fallen from the CDC’s ‘high’ risk of community transmission category (greater than 100 new cases per 100,000 persons in the past seven days) to the ‘substantial’ risk of community transmission category (50-99.99 new cases per 100,000 persons in the past seven days); or,
- if the county’s weekly positivity rate does not fall below 3% but the county’s seven-day case rate falls into the ‘moderate’ risk of community transmission category (10-49.99 new cases per 100,000 persons in the past seven days).
On February 8, the county announced it would follow New York State's lead and lift its mask mandate for all public indoor settings but the mandate would remain in place for all employees and guests at county-owned facilities through February.
