New COVID Case Numbers Trend Downward in Southern Tier

The number of deaths from the coronavirus pandemic in the Southern Tier continue to climb but those who watch the numbers every day are noticing the overall case count is starting to go down after an alarming spike over the summer.

Broome County announced another death October 4 and now has a total of 385 lives lost in the pandemic. Cortland County reported three deaths for a total of 77 and Delaware County added another fatality for a total of 55.

Broome added 75 new cases while Chenango also reports 75 new positives, Cortland 67, Delaware 52 and Tioga 10.

The weekly numbers in Pennsylvania show Wayne County at a total deaths from the pandemic now reaching 100 with an addition of six over the week while Susquehanna and Bradford County each recorded one death.  Susquehanna has lost 64 resident and Bradford County has lost 108.

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The overall new infection rate has been trending downward.  The charts tracking the number of new cases at www.gobroomecounty.com show a marked slide in new positives since September 28.  In New York State the rate for positive tests has fallen below three percent again to 2.37% reported October 4.  Where new positive test results have been over five thousand daily for several weeks, the number of new cases reported in New York State October 2 was 2,896.

Residents are still being urged to get vaccinated against COVID-19 if they are eligible. Unfortunately, the greatest number of new cases in Broome County is among those under the age of 12 who are not yet eligible to get the shot. Also, with a number of breakthrough cases from the more contagious Delta variant, health officials say it’s not a bad idea to wear a mask in indoor settings, especially where it is difficult to maintain a 6-foot distance from others.