New COVID-19 subvariant is on the rise

A new subvariant of COVID-19 is on the rise in New York, but federal and academic health experts suggets tha while it's more likely to get around vaccines, it's no more serious than other Omicron subvariants.

Subvariant XBB accounted for 12.5% of the new COVID cases in New York and the rest of the region that includes New Jersey, the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico between Dec. 11 and Saturday, up from 7.1% the week before, which was the first week it was reported in New York, show data from the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the state Department of Health.

The BQ variants, BQ.1 and BQ.1.1 remain predominant in New York, however, with -- 70.2% of New York cases last week, down from 73.3% the week before.
Like BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, XBB — found in Singapore in August — is more likely to breach vaccinations than earlier variants, but the World Health Organization suggests it is no more serious.

The federal government suggests the latest bivalent vaccine boosters designed for the Omicron variant are more effective protection than earlier shots.

157,409 complete initial vaccine series

The state Health Department reports 28,308 Cortland County residents have completed the initial series of COVID-19 vaccination, or 59.2% of the county’s total population. A total of 14.2% of the county is completely up to date with eligible boosters.

• In Tompkins County, 82,151 people have completed the series, or 79.9% of the population; 22.7% are up to date.
  
  
• In Cayuga County, 46,950 residents have completed the series, or 60.9% of the population; 13.0% are up to date.
  
  
• Across the state, 15.30 million people have completed the two-shot series, or 76.2% of the population. A total of 11.7% are completely up to date.

Cortland County reports 10 new COVID cases

Cortland County reported 10 cases of COVID-19 over the weekend, raising the number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began to 12,971, the state Health Department reports.

Tompkins and Cayuga counties reported 28 new cases Saturday and Sunday, the state reported. The three counties have seen 58,636 cases since the pandemic began in March 2020. The number of people who have died from the virus remains 403.

• One new COVID patient was admitted to Guthrie Cortland Medical Center on Thursday, and one on Friday, the state Health Department reported Sunday. The hospital had three COVID patients. Since the pandemic began, 835 Cortland County residents have been hospitalized for COVID; that number was last updated Dec. 12. The state Health Department reports 309,795 tests have been administered. The state has reported 132 deaths.
  
  
• Tompkins County saw 17 new cases Saturday and Sunday, the state Health Department reported. The number of confirmed cases rose to 25,844. The state reports 3,064,750 tests have been administered. Ninety-eight Tompkins residents have died.
  
  
• Cayuga County saw 11 new cases Saturday and Sunday, the state Health Department reported. Confirmed cases rose to 19,821. The state reports 400,428 tests have been administered, and 173 people have died.

Vaccination rates by ZIP code

Here are the percentages of people who have their primary series of vaccine for COVID-19, by ZIP code. By comparson, 76.2% of New York residents have received at the primary series:

13863 — Willet — 34.3%
13158 — Truxton — 50.2%
13118 — Moravia — 53.3%
13802 — Marathon — 54.3%
13045 — Cortland — 57.7%
13092 — Locke — 59.6%
13040 — Cincinnatus — 60.6%
13101 — McGraw — 63.1%
13053 — Dryden — 65.1%
13077 — Homer — 65.9%
13073 — Groton — 67.3%
13141 — Preble — 69.2%
13068 — Freeville — 74.4%
13784 — Harford — 96.2%
13087 — Little York — 100.0%
13062 — Etna — 100.0%
13102 — McLean — 100.0%