BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - Four more residents in Erie County are confirmed to have coronavirus, bringing the county's total tally to 11 as of Tuesday afternoon.
WATCH: Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz provides coronavirus update on March 17
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz announced that two women in their 50s, a man in his 40s, and a man in his 30s are the latest confirmed cases. Two of the four new patients are from Buffalo, one is from Amherst, and one is from the Village of Williamsville. One of the two women is currently recovering in a negative pressure room at the hospital. The other woman did not travel prior to contracting coronavirus and is the first known example of the virus spreading within the community.
"We believe there is more and there are more cases that are existing in our community," Poloncarz said. "We just haven't tested those individuals."
There are still 225 pending cases that are being tested in local labs. Those results should be unveiled sometime Tuesday evening. There have been 86 residents in Erie County who have been tested for coronavirus.
Officials gave additional locations that the four confirmed cases traveled in hopes of warning the public to self-monitor.
- March 10: Barnes and Noble on Niagara Falls Blvd. in Amherst (10 a.m. to 11 a.m.)
- March 10: Harlem Rd. Community Center (7 p.m. to 8 p.m.)
- March 11: Williamsville Library (10:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.)
- March 11: Lexington Market and 7-11 in the Elmwood Village (7 p.m. to 8 p.m.)
- March 13: Southwest Flight 2442 from Ft. Lauderdale to Buffalo.
County officials said that testing must be authorized by the Erie County Department of Health through a local health care provider and continue to urge anyone who feels any symptoms of coronavirus to contact their primary care physician or contact an urgent care center before visiting. They do not want people with symptoms to enter a medical center without making a call due to the risk of spreading the virus to someone else.
Hospital Beds Needed
Poloncarz said the county is looking for hospital beds locally as demand increases. He said they are working with local hospitals to find room and are examining reopening the Erie County home to address the demand.
"We're looking at alternatives," Poloncarz said. "Hotels. We're looking at potentially reopening hotels. If not, we are going to take actions necessary to give us the number of locations we need. Nursing homes that are in the process of closure or have closed recently, we've had early conversation with some. They're not 100 percent happy with the idea of reopening the facility but if we need it for the community we'll do it."
Governor Cuomo estimated that there could be many as 110,000 beds needed across the state over the next 45 days as the pandemic continues. Poloncarz could not estimate an approximate number of beds in Erie County.
Malls cutting back on hours
Walden Galleria announced it is cutting back hours. From Monday to Saturday, the mall will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Walden Galleria on Sunday will open at 11 a.m. and close at 5 p.m.
"Don't go to a mall," Poloncarz said. "I don't know why anybody would go to a mall now. I would not be surprised if...You should not go to a mall if you can avoid it."
Even though he's telling people not to visit the mall, Poloncarz said that as long as they're following state protocols including social distancing, then there's no reason to shut down the mall. However, if the mall encouraged a gathering, then they could be shut down.
Fake social media accounts spreading news
Poloncarz said he was "exceptionally hot" when he saw a twitter account that posed as a local television station say that there was a confirmed coronavirus case at a local supermarket. The twitter account was a fake and is now under investigation.
"We are in an emergency situation and that is a crime," Poloncarz said. "The hockey player in me, if you were next to me I would have cleaned your clock...You are putting people's lives in danger. We started to get contacts about 'Is this true? Why aren't you reporting it?' This is not a funny situation. I am deadly serious about this. It is a crime to impersonate someone else. In an emergency situation, it is not a joke to put false information out there. It is a crime and we are working to identify who that individual was."
Poloncarz said the person behind that account will be prosecuted under the fullest extent of the law.
