ERIE COUNTY COVID-19 DATA UPDATE – July 20, 2020

Slight week-over-week increase in positivity rate; more than one-third of new cases seen in 20-29 year old age group. 

ERIE COUNTY, NY— The Erie County Department of Health (ECDOH) is reporting COVID-19 case data for the week ending July 18, 2020. The ECDOH Office of Epidemiology confirmed 284 new cases of COVID-19 last week, which is an increase of 30 cases from the period of July 5-11.

The lab-confirmed COVID-19 case total is 7,934 out of 17,041 diagnostic tests for the week ending July 18, which is a 1.7% positivity rate. (An earlier report noted a total of 7,940; six cases were found to be among non-Erie County residents.) That is a slight increase from the previous week’s positivity rate of 1.3%.

Of the newly confirmed cases, 101 (35.6%) were between the ages of 20-29. “We saw a drop in the proportion of 30-39 year olds testing positive last week, however the increase among 20-29 year olds brings that proportion to almost 36% of new cases,” said Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein. “The positivity rate among the 20-29 age group was 3.4% last week, which is double that week’s overall positivity rate.”

“We cannot take our eyes off this disease, and the trends we are seeing among younger people are concerning,” said County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz. “We know how this disease is transmitted, and the choices each person makes to avoid large gatherings and to wear a mask when in public spaces are going to help us keep businesses open and get kids back to school.”

“If you have been to a large gathering, or if you live with someone who is not being careful about avoiding crowds, we want you to get tested for COVID-19,” explained Dr. Burstein. Diagnostic COVID-19 tests are available at no cost through ECDOH by calling (716) 858-2929.

Confirmed new COVID-19 cases by age group for the week ending 7/18/2020

**Percent of cases by age group for each reporting week

As a regular reminder, all Erie County residents should:

• Wear a mask when you can’t maintain physical distancing of at least 6 feet
• Wash your hands frequently with soap and running water
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects
• Avoid large gatherings
• Avoid travel to states listed in the NYS Joint Travel Advisory; if travel is unavoidable, quarantine for 14 days upon returning to New York [https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/covid-19-travel-advisory]
• Stay home from work and all activities if you feel ill
• Consider a diagnostic COVID-19 test. These are available at no cost through ECDOH. Call (716) 858-2929 to schedule, or visit www.erie.gov/covidtestsites for a location near you. ECDOH recommends a diagnostic test for anyone who feels they are at risk for COVID-19, those with a recent travel history to states with a high level of community transmission, close contacts of confirmed COVID-19 cases, and people who have COVID-19 symptoms.