Coronavirus Updates for Dec. 7: Westchester County Sees Over 720 New Cases, Putnam Records First Death in Weeks

Cases of coronavirus increased by 727 in Westchester County on Sunday, bringing the total number of positive cases to 54,671 since the start of the pandemic, according to state data.

This is the third consecutive day cases have tallied over 700.

The county reported two more deaths, resulting in a total of 1,529 COVID-19-releated fatalities since March, according to the state tracker. There were 14 deaths reported this week.

The county currently has 7,830 active cases, state data shows, with the daily positive infection rate 6.34 percent. The number is based on 11,471 tests administered Sunday.

As of Wednesday, there were 292 virus patients in Westchester hospitals, an increase of 245 over the last month.

Putnam County saw another large intake of confirmed positive cases on Sunday, with 98 new cases accounted for. The county’s total caseload has risen to 3,331, state data shows.

Sunday’s numbers are also the fourth highest daily caseload Putnam has recorded since March, state data shows.

Putnam reported one new death on Sunday, the first in several weeks with no change. There have been 65 coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic began, state data shows.

The county’s daily positivity rate is 9.53 percent of 1,028 tests, state data shows. There are currently 969 active cases.

Statewide there were 9,702 new positive cases on Sunday, according to the state tracker. The daily positivity rate is now 4.71 percent.

The state recorded 56 additional COVID-19-related fatalities, bringing the death toll to 27,149 since March.

Total hospitalizations are at 4,442, an increase of 124 over the previous day, according to state data. Across the state there has been a total of 705,827 positive coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic.

Here are the latest updates on Dec. 7

Of the 29 areas labeled COVID-19 hotspots throughout New York, Port Chester and Peekskill continue to report the worst infection rates, a trend that has remained consistent all week with the numbers inching up.

On Sunday, the seven-day rolling average of those tested in Port Chester rose to 11.42 percent, an increase from 11.27 the previous day. Peekskill’s rolling average increased slightly over Saturday, reporting now at 10.59 percent.

Currently, portions of Ossining, Peekskill, Tarrytown, Yonkers, and New Rochelle are designated a COVID-19 yellow zone. Port Chester is still in an orange warning zone.

The zoning designation is part of a three-tiered, color-coded system imposed by the state to reduce high infection rates and target micro-clusters. If labeled a hotspot, with yellow the lowest and red the highest, additional restrictions are implemented to mitigate the virus’ spread.

While Ossining and Tarrytown reported lower infection rates on Sunday compared to previous days, Yonkers and New Rochelle saw a slight increase in test positivity, state data shows.

Ossining has a seven-day average of 8.68 percent, with Tarrytown reporting 5.70 percent. Yonkers is 5.76 percent, a rise from 5.13 percent on Saturday, and New Rochelle is now 5.94 percent.

On Sunday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo reiterated that households and private gatherings are a major driver of COVID-19 transmission right now, demonstrating that actions will determine the infection rate.

“This is a war, and we continue to adapt to the enemy by making decisions based on data and science – not opinion and fear,” Cuomo said. “The light at the end of the tunnel is the vaccine, and one is coming, but until then we must be disciplined.”

School News & Closures 

School Closures

• Carmel High School will transition to remote learning through Jan. 8, with the remaining Carmel Central School District buildings beginning remote learning Dec. 14 to Jan. 8.
• Peekskill City School District will close and shift to virtual learning through Jan. 4.
• White Plains Public Schools transition to remote learning through Dec. 14.
• All students in 6 East, Hybrid One and Two at Fox Lane Middle School will learn remotely at home through Dec. 15th.
• Fox Lane High School will be fully remote on Monday.

Westchester Active Coronavirus Cases by Municipality 

Here are the active cases by municipality in Westchester as of Friday. With a lag between the total number of cases confirmed by the state and the tally of cases by town, the total number of municipal cases might be slightly different than what the county’s active cases reflects.

• Ardsley – 28
• Bedford – 126
• Briarcliff Manor – 48
• Bronxville – 33
• Buchanan – 16
• Cortlandt – 163
• Croton-on-Hudson – 34
• Dobbs Ferry – 47
• Eastchester – 155
• Elmsford – 52
• Greenburgh – 243
• Harrison – 159
• Hastings-on-Hudson – 20
• Irvington – 28
• Larchmont – 26
• Lewisboro – 86
• Mamaroneck Town – 40
• Mamaroneck Village – 164
• Mount Kisco – 138
• Mount Pleasant – 117
• Mount Vernon – 347
• New Castle – 58
• New Rochelle – 589
• North Castle – 62
• North Salem – 44
• Ossining Town – 15
• Ossining Village – 287
• Peekskill – 221
• Pelham – 50
• Pelham Manor – 30
• Pleasantville – 45
• Port Chester – 270
• Pound Ridge – 18
• Rye Brook – 59
• Rye City – 95
• Scarsdale – 58
• Sleepy Hollow – 91
• Somers – 103
• Tarrytown – 72
• Tuckahoe – 22
• White Plains – 390
• Yonkers – 1,116
• Yorktown – 203

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