Infectious Diseases Expert: "Our behavior as a community controls the number of cases"

Questions continue in the Western New York community as several COVID-19 positive percentages for the region are higher than state averages.

WHERE WE'RETREADING WATER A BITWESTERN NEW YORKIS BUCKING A TREND INDECLINING COVID-19CASE NUMBERS.GOOD EVENING.NEW YORK STATE HASSEEN LESS THAN ONEPERCENT OF COVID-19TESTS COME BACKPOSITIVE... FOR 18STRAIGHT DAYS.BUT IN WESTERN NEWYORK... THE RATE ISRISING.THE LATEST NUMBERSFROM THE STATESHOW THE STATEWIDEAVERAGE AT POINT-9-4PERCENT.BUT WESTERN NEWYORK'S RATE ISALMOST DOUBLE THATNUMBER.BUT AS NIKKIDEMENTRI REPORTS --MEDICAL EXPERTSBELIEVE THESENUMBERS TELL ONLYPART OF THE STORY.THE SKY IS NOTFALLING.BUT SOME MIGHT BETHINKING IT AFTERSEEING THESENUMBERS --2.3 %, 1.4% AND 1.5%.THESE ARE THE COVIDPOSITIVEPERCENTAGES IN ERIECOUNTY FROMSATURDAY THROUGHMONDAY...ALL HIGHERTHAN THE STATEAVERAGE.WESTERN NEW YORKWE HAVE A CAUTIONFLAG.GOVERNOR ANDREWCUOMO SAID ONMONDAY SEVERALCLUSTERSCONTRIBUTED TOPROBLEM.NOT A CAUSE FORSERIOUS CONCERN,BUT IT IS A CAUTIONFLAG AND WE'RELOOKING AT IT.N: DR. RUSSO TELL MEHOW IS THE WESTERNNEW YORK REGIONDOING RIGHT NOWWITH COVID?DR: ALL IN ALL, I THINKWE'RE STILL DOINGPRETTY WELL.

IAPPREICATE THERE'S ACONCERN OF ANINCREASED PERCENTTHAT HAVE TESTEDPOSITIVE OVER THELAST FEW DAYS, BUT ITHINK IT'S IMPORTANTTO REALIZE A SINGLEDAY PERCENTAGE ISNOT AS MEANINGFULAS PERCENTAGESOVERTIME.INFECTIOUS DISEASESEXPERT DR. THOMASRUSSO BELIEVES AROLLING 7-DAYAVERAGE IS A "MOREACCURATEREFLECTION" OFWHAT'S HAPPENING.WE'VE SORT OF BEENISOLATING AND SORTOF BEEN AT THE SAMELEVEL NOW FOR ABOUTTHE LAST FIVE WEEKSOR SO.DR. RUSSO SAYSLOOKING AT TRENDSWILL BE IMPORTANTMOVING FORWARD.ERIE COUNTY HASSEEN ROLLING 7 DAYAVERAGES BETWEEN1.1% AND 1.4% OVERTHE LAST FIVE WEEKS.AND THAT'S REALLYQUITE RESPECTABLE.BEING UNDER 2% ISGREAT AND IN FACT WEWOULD BE ENVIOUS OFALMOST ANY OTHERPART OF THE COUNTRY.DR. RUSSO SAYS"EACH WEEK IS A NEWWEEK" AND IT'SIMPORTANT PEOPLE INERIE COUNTY ANDWESTERN NEW YORKDON'T FALL INTOCOVID FATIGUE.AT THE END OF THEDAY, OUR BEHAVIOR ASA COMMUNITYCONTROLS THENUMBER OF CASES WEHAVE.ND, 7EWN.CONTROLS THENUMBER OF CASES WEHAVE.