Tompkins County Whole Health, the county's public health department, is warning people about the latest variant of COVID-19, XBB.1.5, and is suggesting people get vaccinated or boosted soon.
The newest COVID-19 Omicron subvariant is highly contagious and is now dominant in New York, the department announced Thursday; 55% of the new cases are XBB.1.5.
Tompkins County, along with many other areas across the country, has seen an increase in hospitalizations and deaths in the past few weeks, with hospitalization rates at their highest so far this winter, showing the severity of XBB.1.5 compared with earlier variants.
Among those hospitalized for severe illness, those with current COVID-19 boosters report quicker recovery and are less likely to have severe complications resulting in death, reports Tompkins County, which marked its 100th COVID death this week.
Data now indicates that people who received a COVID-19 booster were more than 18 times less likely to die from COVID-19 and three times less likely to be infected than unvaccinated people.
After three winters, the prevention remains the same, said Frank Kruppa, Whole Health commissioner: Get vaccinated; wear a mask; stay home when sick.
"We also know that with reduced PCR testing and more testing done at home, the status of disease prevalence is likely to be much higher than what is reported," Kruppa said. "We urge continued caution and recommend you get vaccinated and stay up to date on your vaccination by getting the updated booster as soon as you are eligible.”
Cortland reports six new COVID cases
Cortland County reported six new cases of COVID-19 Thursday, raising the number of confirmed cases since the pandemic began to 13,139, the state Health Department reports.
Tompkins and Cayuga counties reported 26 new cases Thursday, the state reported. The three counties have seen 59,457 cases since the pandemic began in March 2020. The number of people who have died from the virus remains 411.
