Tioga County COVID-19 Update for September 8, 2021 – September 14, 2021

Tioga County’s Public Health Department recently released the COVID-19 case breakdown in Tioga County, N.Y. from September 8, 2021 – September 14, 2021 as follows.

According to the department there were 123 cases during this time frame, with 59 unvaccinated and 43 being vaccinated; there were 14 children under 12 reported as having tested positive for COVID, and there were seven individuals with an unknown vaccination status and three hospitalizations. There are currently 143 active cases in Tioga County, which is considered an area with a high rate of transmission, according to the CDC.

The health department noted that vaccination status is self-reported by the positive case or their parent or guardian during the case investigation. Several factors may affect one’s protection against COVID-19 including which vaccine they received, how long it has been since they were vaccinated, and what precautions they are taking to protect themselves from COVID-19. The COVID-19 vaccine offers protection against severe illness, hospitalization, and death, according to health officials.

While conducting interviews with the positive COVID-19 cases, Tioga County Public Health has found that many have attended work or school while they were symptomatic. 

“If you are experiencing any symptoms of COVID-19, including minor symptoms like a runny nose, headache or sore throat, stay home and contact your health care provider,” the health department wrote in a prepared release.

They added, “When people go to school while symptomatic, it results in other students, teachers, and school staff needing to quarantine. Please, do not let your children go to school while they are sick. When you or your children expose others to the virus you are putting them at risk and cause an inconvenience to many other families in your school district when children need to be excluded from school.”

The additionally wrote, “At this time, if you are exposed to someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and you are fully vaccinated, you do not need to quarantine as long as you remain symptom free. We continue to urge our community to get vaccinated against COVID-19, especially students 12 and older. By getting eligible students vaccinated against the virus, you can help keep them in school.” 

Visit www.vaccines.gov/ to find a vaccine site near you. 

Lisa McCafferty, Public Health director, also reminds those with underlying health conditions, “Take care of yourself due to cases we are seeing in our community. Protect yourself by practicing social distancing, wear a mask while in public areas, and get vaccinated if you have not done so yet.”  

To find a COVID-19 testing site, visit https://get-tested-covid19.org/. For more resources, visit ph.tiogacountyny.gov. You can also follow Tioga County Public Health on Facebook.