Coronavirus Update, December 18, 2020
Tompkins County has yet to receive any doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine even though shipments around the state began on Tuesday.
The Southern Tier region will receive 4,500 of the 170,000 doses available for distribution as of now. Cayuga Health Systems, or CHS, is expected to lead the vaccine distribution. Cayuga Medical Center spokesperson John Turner told the Ithaca Voice that they have not received shipments of the vaccines or gotten any news about when they will. He added that with Moderna’s vaccine getting approved, they hope to hear something next week.
United Health Systems is leading the vaccine distribution efforts. As of this afternoon, requests for comment from the organization have not yet been answered.
As of now, it’s estimated that the vaccines will be available for the general public next spring or summer.
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Looking at the local COVID-19 caseload, the latest numbers as of the time of this broadcast were released Friday from the Tompkins County health department. There are 20 additional positives, and 17 new recoveries. According to the County Health Department, that leaves 248 active cases of COVID-19 in Tompkins. 2 people have been discharged from the hospital, with 9 remaining.
In Schuyler County, another resident has passed away due to complications of the virus. The Schuyler Health department announced the news yesterday, noting that the person was a female in her 90’s. This is the 8th death in the county due to COVID-19.
Friday it was reported that there are 12 new cases of COVID-19 in Schuyler. 11 of the cases had known contact with a positive case. There are now 43 active cases of the virus, according to their Health Department. 3 people remain hospitalized due to the virus.
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Ithaca College President Shirley Collado released a letter on Monday in response to the latest demonstration held on-campus as a part of the #OpenTheBooks movement. The demonstration consisted of a group of students, faculty, staff and alumni, the Ithaca Voice reports. They are asking the college to be more transparent about their financial situation and the announced cuts of over 130 faculty members.
Protestors hung signs to the entrance of the Peggy Ryan Williams Center on campus. They also drew messages on the building’s doorway like “IC Kills,” “No to Austerity” and other phrases including profanity with chalk and permanent markers.
In her letter, Collado said she understands, quote, “how hard, emotional, and uncertain this time at this college is." However, she did not specifically address any of the movement’s concerns. Collado castigated the students who committed the vandalism, which she described as “unacceptable” and “disrespectful.”
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At a virtual town hall held at Cornell University this week, Vice President of Student and Campus Life, Ryan Lombardi, affirmed that campus life in the spring semester would closely resemble that seen in the fall.
According to the Cornell Daily Sun, over 1000 additional students will move back to campus for the spring semester. Lombardi says that surveillance testing in the spring would be similar to that in the fall. However, students receiving diagnostic testing will see reduced wait times. Since the beginning of the fall semester, Cornell Health has developed enhanced testing capabilities.
During the Town Hall, Assistant Vice President of Student and Campus Life Pat Wynn detailed procedures for students returning to campus. New York State guidelines specify that students from non-contiguous states and other countries can shorten their required quarantine time. That is, if they can have a COVID test 3 days before arrival. If students do not have a test before arriving, they must quarantine for 14 days.
The spring semester schedule will not include a spring break, but instead will provide two rest periods, including a 4-day weekend. Lombardi stated that Cornell is greatly discouraging travel outside of Ithaca during these periods, adding that about half of the positive cases in the fall semester were due to out-of-state travel.
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According to the Albany Times Union, the Legal Aid Society is suing the New York State Department of Correction and Community Supervision, or DOCCS, to get them to disclose COVID-19 infection rates among staff, broken down by facility.
The DOCCS denied the Legal Aid Society’s original Freedom of Information Law request for this information, supposedly for security reasons. The Legal Aid Society says that 28 other states publish facility-level data or dashboards on COVID-19 infections among staff without issue.
Across DOCCS facilities, so far at least 2,400 facility staff members and 2,200 of those in custody have been positive for COVID-19. Deaths affiliated with these facilities and attributed to COVID-19 include 6 staff members, 19 inmates, and four parolees.
Currently, eight New York facilities have halted visitations because of high infection rates within their population. Two additional facilities, including one in Elmira, have paused visitations because of infection rates in the local area.
In May, after pressure from New York legislatures, DOCCS released those in custody who were pregnant or who recently gave birth if they had not committed a violent felony or sex offense and were within six months of release.
Contributing writing by WRFI Volunteers Esther Racoosin, Pamela Tan, Antonio Ferme, and Michayla Savitt