Half of the 24 total patients at Wyoming County Community Health System on Monday morning were receiving treatment for Covid-19, Gov. Kathy Hochul said while visiting the facility.
The recent surge in patients infected with the virus is why Hochul vowed to provide further support to struggling health care centers, like the one in Warsaw, hammered by the pandemic.
"I want to tell you the resources are coming," she said during a visit scheduled to allow her to thank the health-care workers who have served tirelessly throughout the pandemic and are, as she put it, "angels on earth."
One day after the state broke its one-day record for positive Covid-19 tests, she said capacity in the state's hospitals is a concern.
But she insisted the state is in a better place than it was in March 2020 or December 2020.
"We've come a long way," Hochul said, noting vaccines, booster shots and testing are more available.
As of Saturday, 486 patients were hospitalized for Covid-19, including 101 in an intensive care unit, in the five counties of Western New York, a region that does not include Wyoming. That's down from 518 patients, including 113 in an ICU, one week earlier but up sharply from the 330 and 67, respectively, reported on Nov. 18, state data show.
Hochul said testing is a key component of the fight against Covid-19, along with ensuring people get vaccinated and boosted, wear face masks and follow proper social distancing.
She said the state wants to expand access to testing and soon plans to set up an online portal allowing the public to order Covid-19 test kits for home use. She urged people to get tested if they are showing symptoms or believe they were exposed to the virus.
"This is how we can stop the spread from getting even more out of control," Hochul said.
She said the state recently received a shipment of one million Covid-19 tests and expects a similar shipment to arrive this week, and next, with more on the way.
State officials have focused on getting those tests to hospitals, for newly discharged patients, and county health departments, including 3,200 such tests provided to the Wyoming County Health Department that, she quipped, "Might be on Santa's sleigh out there."
But she said it's important to get them to parents of students, to public libraries, workplaces and other distribution points.
Asked whether the state is considering imposing a vaccine mandate for schools, Hochul said under New York law it's up to the State Legislature to approve vaccinations as a requirement for public education.
However, she said children already are required to get a number of vaccines before enrolling in school, vaccines that for decades have helped limit the spread of deadly diseases such as polio. Her focus, for now, is making sure children are able to safely remain in school because of the challenges and inequities surrounding fully remote learning.
Enhanced testing can help the state achieve its goal for K-12 students, she said: "It is stay in school, stay learning, stay in a nurturing environment."
Also, the governor said Covid-19 case counts and hospitalization levels generally appear higher in areas where vaccination rates are lower.
In Wyoming County, just 56% of the population has received at least one vaccine dose, compared to 73% in Erie County and 82% across the state.
"That is a vulnerability," Hochul said.
Wyoming County, for the week ending Saturday, had an average of 63.8 positive tests per 100,000 residents, above Erie County's average of 52.1 cases per capita but below the statewide average of 83.3, a figure that has soared in recent days.
"Those numbers are troubling, and I predict that after Christmas they're going to continue to go up," Hochul said.
Hochul urged New Yorkers to approach large holiday gatherings with caution and said she has adjusted her own holiday travel plans because of the "wildfire" spread of the Omicron variant. She said she will no longer fly to Florida to see her father.
"It's not a fear of flying, it is just I need to be in Albany to manage this crisis. So I will not be having any holiday plans -- maybe dinner with my husband," Hochul said.
After the governor spoke and took questions from reporters, Wyoming County Community Health System CEO Joseph L. McTernan said he appreciated Hochul’s expression of support to his “very beleaguered staff.”
The hospital has 24 patients in its 35 staffed, acute care beds and the majority of the 12 Covid-19 patients were not vaccinated.
The health system, which includes a long-term care facility, has just over 600 employees. About 5% of its work force was forced to leave because they did not get vaccinated, McTernan said.
Finding enough workers, particularly qualified replacements for those choosing to leave the profession, is a challenge, he said.
“We’re feeling the same stresses on staffing as other health care organizations are feeling,” McTernan said.
Still, he described the past 21 months of the pandemic as “a period of endurance, perseverance and, also, a great level of innovation.”
