BUFFALO, N.Y. — It has been exactly three weeks since New York State lifted mask mandates largely for those who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
2 On Your Side has been looking into the COVID data on where cases stand since many of those mask restrictions went away.
State data shows Western New York’s seven-day rolling average on COVID cases dropping weeks before mask mandates were largely lifted for those who are vaccinated.
Since the mask guidance changes, cases have continued to plummet.
"I absolutely think the falling in the number of cases with people sick with COVID-19 is a direct correlation to the vaccination rates," said Christine Schuyler, the Chautauqua County health director.
Currently, 46 percent of Western New Yorkers are fully vaccinated, just shy of the statewide percentage of 47 percent.
"Nursing homes, a few months ago, we had 117 people in the nursing homes that were positive; yesterday we had six," said Dan Stapleton, the Niagara County health director.
In more rural counties in Western New York, new COVID cases per day are in the single digits.
"The last few weeks have really been a breath of fresh air for all of us, not only in the lifting of restrictions so that we can get back to life as we used to know it, but also a big relief in our case numbers," Schuyler said.
Many hospitals are seeing drops in admissions with people with COVID.
At Erie County Medical Center, that’s allowed the hospital to better adjust to seeing patients in need of trauma care.
"All of the major adult trauma comes to ECMC. The summer is a very busy time for us, so it has been a welcomed relief for a lot of reasons that we’re having a decrease in COVID cases. It does help us with the increased summer volume," said Dr. Samuel Cloud of ECMC.
With the summer here, health officials are still focused on individual behavior and the spread of the virus.
"When we are embarking on gatherings, weddings, enjoying Chautauqua Lake and other festivities, I'm hoping we’re not going to see an increase in cases," Schuyler said.
The state Health Department and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend people who are not vaccinated to continue to wear a mask in places such as grocery stores and department stores.
There are still mask mandates in certain places, such as schools, hospitals and airports.
Health officials still have their eye on variants internationally and urge people to get vaccinated.
The Allegany County Health Department says there are many factors that move positive COVID numbers, such as gatherings, travel, schools moving students in upper grades to more days in school, and school sports resuming, among other changes.