Coronavirus Updates for Jan. 7: Westchester County Reports More Than 770 New Cases, Putnam Adds Nearly 100

Coronavirus cases increased by 776 in Westchester County on Wednesday, bringing the total number of positive cases to 74,157 since the start of the pandemic.

The county reported five more deaths, resulting in a total of 1,697 COVID-19-related fatalities since March, according to the state tracker. This week 20 people have died from the virus, state data shows.

There are currently 9,597 active cases, a number that resembles what was reported last spring during the height of the pandemic. The daily positivity rate is currently 7.17 percent. That percentage is based on 10,826 tests taken on Monday, state data shows.

 Overall, there have been over 1.47 million COVID-19 tests administered in Westchester since March.

As of Jan. 2, there are 455 virus patients in Westchester hospitals.

Putnam County’s total caseload has reached 5,320, with 85 additional positive cases recorded on Wednesday. The county’s daily positivity rate is 11.38 percent, with 747 tests administered Monday.

Putnam currently has 1,040 active cases. 

There have been 67 coronavirus-related deaths in Putnam. No new deaths were reported on Wednesday.

Statewide there were 16,648 new positive cases on Wednesday. The daily positivity rate is 8.41 percent.

The state recorded 161 additional COVID-19-related fatalities, bringing the death toll to 30,965 since March.

Total hospitalizations are at 8,665, an increase of 75 over the previous day. Across New York there have been 1,057,676 positive coronavirus cases since the start of the pandemic.

Here are the latest updates on Jan. 7

Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell announced the Putnam County Department of Health received its first shipment of COVID-19 vaccines and will begin vaccinating workers and residents of certain congregate living facilities this week.

“This is what we have all been waiting for,” Odell said. “At last, the vaccine is in the hands of our county health department and will be going into the arms of our healthcare providers and most vulnerable citizens. Our health department is trained for this, they are the experts in public vaccination programs, and they are ready to go.”

The department received 600 doses of the Moderna vaccine on Tuesday and today will begin to vaccinate staff and residents of facilities run by the Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, Office of Mental Health, and Office of Addiction Services and Support, agencies that were given priority by the state. The Moderna vaccine requires a second dose 28 days after the first.

While the states vaccination plan is underway, Gov. Andrew Cuomo continued to urge folks to follow safety guidelines with coronavirus cases seeing a sharp uptick since the holidays and the United Kingdom strain now confirmed in New York.

“During the holiday season, we had one clear message for New Yorkers – if you celebrate smart, you reduce the spread and if you don’t, we will see a COVID hangover with increasing infection and hospitalization rates. Unfortunately, we are now seeing that hangover all across this nation,” Cuomo said. “To finally overcome this virus, it’s going to require all of us to stay united and stay smart.”

Westchester Active Coronavirus Cases by Municipality 

Here are the active cases by municipality in Westchester as of Wednesday. 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 – 31
• Bedford – 133
• Briarcliff Manor – 52
• Bronxville – 46
• Buchanan – 36
• Cortlandt – 379
• Croton-on-Hudson – 97
• Dobbs Ferry – 85
• Eastchester – 207
• Elmsford – 64
• Greenburgh – 369
• Harrison – 263
• Hastings-on-Hudson – 48
• Irvington – 32
• Larchmont – 52
• Lewisboro – 60
• Mamaroneck Town – 81
• Mamaroneck Village – 258
• Mount Kisco – 101
• Mount Pleasant – 216
• Mount Vernon – 481
• New Castle – 95
• New Rochelle – 820
• North Castle – 95
• North Salem – 46
• Ossining Town – 61
• Ossining Village – 351
• Peekskill – 380
• Pelham – 59
• Pelham Manor – 70
• Pleasantville – 47
• Port Chester – 360
• Pound Ridge – 29
• Rye Brook – 96
• Rye City – 136
• Scarsdale – 64
• Sleepy Hollow – 209
• Somers – 206
• Tarrytown – 114
• Tuckahoe – 54
• White Plains – 655
• Yonkers – 2,320
• Yorktown – 477

School News & Business Closures 

School Closures

• Carmel Central School District will transition to remote learning through Jan. 8.
• Brewster Central School District will be on a remote learning schedule through Jan. 8
• White Plains Public School will be on remote learning through Jan. 8
• Croton Harmon Schools will be remote through Jan. 8
• Yorktown Central School District will be on a remote learning schedule through Jan. 8
• Greenburgh Central School District has transitioned all schools to remote learning through Jan. 11.
• Lakeland Central School District will shift to its fully remote model starting Thursday through Jan. 19.

Business Closures

• In Peekskill, Factoria, River Outpost, and Fin & Brew will be closed for the winter out of an abundance of caution with coronavirus cases rapidly increasing locally. Restaurants will reopen on March 15.