NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. — As we have been reporting, COVID-19 cases are on the rise in places in Western New York.
That's especially the case in Niagara Falls particularly among children.
Over the past week or two, Community Health Center of Buffalo, which has offices in Niagara Falls, says its seen an estimated 30 to 40 percent increase in COVID cases among children, specifically in Niagara Falls.
"The thing that we've been noticing with the pediatric infections is the concern they're more at risk for something long COVID, which is something might have heard about where some people end up sick for a long period of time, but the symptoms might not be as severe," according to pediatrician Dr. Shery Goril of CHCB.
Goril says it's hard to know where kids are being exposed but classrooms, school buses, after-school activities are all possibilities.
Niagara Falls School District superintendent Mark Laurrie says he doesn't think kids are getting sick from attending school.
"The transmission rates are not occurring in schools, and why can I say that? Because we're getting a first-grader and a fifth-grader, we're getting a family," Laurrie said.
Laurrie says the 14301 zip code and the 14305 zip code in the Falls have two of the highest COVID rates of any zip code in the state.
"There are a great deal of unvaccinated adults and children in those zip codes," Laurrie said.
The rise in cases among children is something that wasn't seen last school year.
"We're ahead of pace from last year. Now remember, 30 percent of the kids were remote, and we were in a hybrid, so we only had half the kids, half the kids," Laurrie said.
At Oishei Children's Hospital, Kaleida Health says there are six children who have been diagnosed with COVID. Three of them are in the ICU, and 18 children are at Oishei with unconfirmed cases.
REPORTER: Is the thinking that you're seeing more cases among children because they're the last ones to get vaccinated?
"That's exactly it," Goril said, "I'm hoping within the next few months we'll see the same trend that overall cases will continue to decline and stabilize."
Niagara Falls Schools has two COVID vaccination clinics coming up at the Harry Abate School and Kalfas Elementary. The district is also offering COVID testing every Monday and Tuesday at the Central Office for anyone within the school community.
Niagara County seven-day rolling average, according to state health data, is 6.8 percent.
Community Health Center of Buffalo has several clinics as well specifically focusing on children:
Community Health Center of Buffalo COVID Vaccination and Booster Shot Clinic
- Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays
- 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
- 34 Benwood Avenue, Buffalo
Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer Community Health Center of Niagara Pediatric Vaccination Clinic:
- Thursday, Nov. 18 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
- 2715 Highland Avenue, Niagara Falls
- Children 5 to 11 years old
- Pfizer COVID vaccine, first-shot, return for second shot Thursday, Dec. 9 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Community Health Center of Buffalo Pediatric Vaccination Clinic:
- Saturday, Nov. 27 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- 34 Benwood Avenue, Buffalo
- Children 5 to 11 years old
- Pfizer COVID vaccine, first shot, return for second shot Saturday, Dec. 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.