BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) – Erie County is no longer considered a community with a "high" risk of COVID-19, according to the Erie County Department of Health and the CDC.
The rate for new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents in the past seven days is 91. The CDC defined a "high" risk area as a community that has more than 100 new cases per 100,000 residents in a week. Erie County is now considered in a "substantial" category of COVID-19 risk.
"Dropping below that '100 cases' threshold shows that our county is on the right path in reducing the number of daily cases, which in turn will mean fewer hospitalizations and deaths from COVID-19," Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein said in a statement. "We know how to keep that momentum going: vaccination for all who are eligible, including youth ages 12 to 15 years old, and continued public health preventive measures."
There were 118 new cases of COVID-19 in Erie County on Thursday.
The decrease in community transmission means that middle school and high school students are allowed to reopen at full capacity. Many schools are already planning to return as early as next week.
