Positive tests increase, including nursing home cases

SCHUYLER COUNTY--Last Thursday, Oct. 8, Schuyler County Public Health received notification that two residents at Schuyler Hospital's Seneca View Skilled Nursing Facility in Montour Falls tested positive for COVID-19. This came after they were screened due to an employee testing positive on the nursing unit.
The entire unit in Schuyler has been placed in quarantine and residents and staff in that unit will be retested frequently to ensure any additional individuals who test positive or develop symptoms can be immediately separated from other residents. Retesting will occur until the facility goes 14 days without any new positive cases.
On Friday, two additional new cases were added to the total and after the long weekend, the health department reported 11 more cases on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
Schuyler now has 14 active cases with four individuals hospitalized and 161 in quarantine. 58 people have recovered.
Of the 72 confirmed cases, since the pandemic reporting began, 51 percent of the cases are in the age ranges from 60 to 90 and over.
"It's important we all continue to exercise caution, especially with COVID-19 cases rising in the Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions," stated Deborah Minor, Schuyler County Public Health Director. "Please consider shrinking your social bubble by limiting how many different people you are interacting with. This virus mostly spreads from person-to-person between people who are in close contact for an extended period of time, especially indoors."