Picente turns attention to booster shots in Oneida County

Edward Harris, Observer-Dispatch
·4 min read

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. believes it is time for the county to shift its focus away from residents who will not get vaccinated to those who are due for a booster shot as COVID-19 numbers in the county continue to rise across the board.

Roughly 70% of the county is vaccinated, Picente said, adding initial vaccinations are waning.

Picente urged residents vaccinated with Pfizer or Moderna more than six months ago and Johnson & Johnson over two months ago to get the booster shot.

Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. has announced the county will turn its focus to booster shots rather than on the 30% of residents that will not get the vaccine.
Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. has announced the county will turn its focus to booster shots rather than on the 30% of residents that will not get the vaccine.

The county is ramping up availability and improving accessibility to boosters, Picente added.

“With case numbers and hospitalizations rising, the time has come to shift our focus away from the 30% of Oneida County residents who won’t get vaccinated and do all we can to protect the more than 60,000 people who are currently due for their booster shot,” Picente said in a statement. “Efficacy is waning on the initial vaccines doses and boosters are important and necessary, especially as the holidays approach.”

As of Nov. 30, 29,000 residents have received boosters, Picente said.

Rising numbers

Oneida County reported 1,249 new COVID-19 cases and 13 deaths over the course of the last eight days from Nov. 24 through Wednesday.

The new cases bring the county’s total to 33,909.

The highest number of new cases, 247, was reported Tuesday. There were 240 new cases reported Wednesday.

Saturday, Nov. 27 saw the lowest number of new cases reported with 82. There also were 95 cases reported Nov. 26.

The rest of the days saw numbers in the hundreds.

The newly reported deaths bring the county’s total to 543.

There were three reported deaths each day, Nov. 27-29. There were two deaths reported Tuesday. One death was reported last Friday and Wednesday.

As of midnight, Wednesday, Dec. 1 there are currently 1,626 active COVID-19 cases in Oneida County, along with an 8.7% positivity rate.

This is the highest positivity rate the county has seen since the beginning of the year.

According to the Oneida County COVID-19 Dashboard, the positivity rate in the county has been rising since late October.

The positivity rate ranged in the mid-to-high 8 and 9s in January. It ranged around 1% throughout much of the spring and early summer, but started to go back up in July.

The previous high positivity rate was 5% on Sept. 8.

Hospitalization statistics

As of Wednesday, there were 99 Oneida County residents hospitalized. Of the residents hospitalized, 66 were unvaccinated.

Seventy of the residents hospitalized were in the Mohawk Valley Health System and 21 were at Rome Health. Eight were hospitalized outside the county.

Eighteen of the residents hospitalized were in the Intensive Care Unit, with 15 of them being unvaccinated.

Eleven of those hospitalized were on ventilators, with nine of them being unvaccinated.

Ten of those hospitalized were from long-term care facilities, with three of them being unvaccinated.

Here is a breakdown of those hospitalized as of Wednesday by age and vaccination status:

  • 0-12 years-old: 1 unvaccinated/0 vaccinated

  • 13-19 years-old: 2 unvaccinated/0 vaccinated

  • 20-29 years-old: 1 unvaccinated/0 vaccinated

  • 30-39 years-old: 7 unvaccinated/0 vaccinated

  • 40-49 years-old: 7 unvaccinated/1 vaccinated

  • 50-59 years-old: 6 unvaccinated/2 vaccinated

  • 60-69 years-old: 15 unvaccinated/4 vaccinated

  • 70-79 years-old: 21 unvaccinated/11 vaccinated

  • 80-89 years-old: 6 unvaccinated/10 vaccinated

  • 90+ years-old: 0 unvaccinated/3 vaccinated

Sixty-seven percent of the patients hospitalized were unvaccinated, according to the county.

The average age of hospitalized unvaccinated residents is 60 and 75 for vaccinated residents.

Eighty-four percent of those hospitalized are at least six months past full vaccination, the county said.

As of Wednesday, there were 2,895 residents in mandatory isolation and quarantine.

Federal funding

Earlier this week, U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced $1,377,409 for Oneida County from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency to cover costs associated with the county’s COVID response.

The senators also announced COVID-19 funding for Syracuse University in the same announcement.

The funds reimburse each for expenses related to the purchase and distribution of medical supplies and materials including PPEs, enhanced cleaning/disinfecting facilities, dissemination of information to the public and guidance regarding COVID-19, HVAC systems, and other components of combatting the spread of COVID-19, the senators announced in a statement.

The funding is provided at a 100% federal cost share.

“Oneida County, Syracuse University, and so many other entities throughout New York heroically stepped up to fight the pandemic on the front lines, resulting in increased spending, while experiencing significant revenue losses, so I am proud to deliver this funding that will help Central NY prevent tax hikes, keep essential services running, and rebuild the local economy,” Schumer said in a statement. “Pandemic recovery begins by tackling the tremendous costs local government and our higher education institutions have incurred managing the crisis and keeping students and residents safe throughout the pandemic.”

Ed Harris is the Oneida County reporter for the Observer-Dispatch. Email Ed Harris at EHarris1@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Oneida County Executive Picente turns attention to COVID booster shots