Coronavirus Recap -- Aug. 8, 2022

Posted

Thursday
A county emergency communications project slowed during the coronavirus pandemic will resume with funding from a pair of state grants.

Cortland County’s Department of Emergency Response and Communications plans to use nearly $1.7 million in grants to renovate a county-owned building at 22 W. Court St. to house its dispatch office.

The department received a $1.5 million state grant and will also receive a separate state Public Safety Answering Points grant of more than $197,000, said Scott Roman, director of the Cortland County Department of Emergency Response and Communications on Wednesday. That money will also be spent to improve the radio system used for emergency dispatching located in the County Office Building.

“We started this project a couple years ago and then COVID hit and the money dried,” Roman said of the new 911 center. “Now they’re coming back around and putting the money back into 911.”

He said without a grant, the project would need to be paid for by property taxes or it would never get built.

“We put new windows on and a new roof on it. It’s been gutted,” Roman said. “Now we have to finish the design plan and start construction.”

Bids will be awarded some time this month, he said. The project was initially priced at an estimated $1 million before COVID, but Roman said the costs have probably risen.

“A lot has changed in the last 18 months and two years,” Roman said. “When we started, plywood was $20. Now it's $50.”

Friday
Onondaga and Cayuga counties joined Broome and Tioga as a "medium" risk for COVID-19 transmission, reports the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but Cortland and Tompkins remain at low risk as the BA.5 variant spreads across America.

Cortland County had 52 new cases of COVID-19 between July 28 and Wednesday, giving it a rate of 109.29 cases per 100,000 people, the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.

It had a “low” risk, under CDC guidelines. Under metrics and guidance from the CDC — which take into account the number of new cases in a week, the number of hospitalizations and hospital capacity:

In counties with a “high risk,” wearing a mask in indoor public places is still recommended.

In counties with a “medium risk,” people with symptoms, a positive test, or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should wear a mask. People at a high risk for severe illness should consult their healthcare provider about the need for a mask or other precautions.

In counties with a “low risk,” no additional precautions beyond staying up to date with vaccines and getting tested if one has symptoms are recommended.