BUFFALO, N.Y. — Erie County Health officials have announced new criteria for patients to be tested for coronavirus.
Patients who have symptoms consistent with COVID-19; fever, cough, shortness of breath, etc... now meet the criteria for COVID-19 testing through the Erie County Department of Health lab.
Residents who are experiencing these symptoms should contact their health care provider first.
The county executive also announced on his twitter page that the Childcare Resource Network provides free help in finding child care options for you and your family. Their website is http://wnychildren.org. You can also contact them at 716-877-6666 or by email parentservices@wnychildren.org.
The Erie County Department of Health announced Sunday night that four more positive cases of coronavirus have been confirmed.
The cases include:
- a man in his 30s who recently traveled from New York City;
- a man in his 40s who recently traveled out of state;
- a woman in her 30s who recently traveled out of state;
- and a woman in her 20s who recently traveled from New York City.
All patients are currently in quarantine in a private residence. They are located in Amherst, Buffalo, Elma and Orchard Park (no particular order).
Prior to that, the county announced their first three cases in Buffalo, Clarence and Grand Island.
- A man in his 30s who recently traveled from Westchester County
- A woman in her 30s who recently traveled out of state
- A woman in her 30s who recently traveled to Italy
All seven confirmed cases are in isolation. Some people who may have been in contact with these people, but do not have symptoms, will be placed in quarantine.
Erie County Health Commissioner Dr. Gail Burstein gave locations of where those known confirmed cases might have traveled within Western New York. She is asking all Erie County residents to self-monitor as they may have unknowingly come in contact with someone who had the virus or in public places.
March 4: United Airline Flight 6028 from Austin to Washington, D.C.
March 4: United Airline Flight 4810 from Washington, D.C. to Buffalo
March 9: Amtrak Train #49 from New York City to Buffalo (arrived around midnight)
March 10: Walden Galleria (no timeframe given)
March 11: Wegmans on Alberta Drive in Amherst around 12 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.
March 12: Aldi Supermarket on Transit in Depew around 6:30 p.m.
March 13: Rite Aid in Orchard Park on North Buffalo Road around 7 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced that the county's on-site workforce will be cut in half. He is directing all non-essential staff to work from home to help prevent the spread of the virus.
Poloncarz also announced Tuesday that the health department received another 200 testing swab kits from the state. During a press conference earlier in the day Poloncarz expressed his concern that the county health department was running low on supplies.