BUFFALO, N.Y. (WBEN) - More than 1,000 people have died in Erie County due to coronavirus, according to Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.
The county has confirmed 1,001 total deaths due to coronavirus since March.
"We have crossed a very somber, sad barrier," Poloncarz said.
There are still roughly 23% of beds that are still available across all Erie County. 527 people are hospitalized with coronavirus in Erie County as of Wednesday, though the hospital beds are also occupied by those who are in the hospital for reasons other than COVID-19.
The county on Thursday shared the latest modeling from the University at Buffalo. Erie County Health Commissioner Gale Burstein said that it's projected there will be an small increase in hospital admissions if there is no change in cluster zone initiatives. The increase will level off in January.
"I think the take-home message from this is we did have a small surge in hospital admissions as a result of Thanksgiving," Burstein said. "However, it was nothing like what we had anticipated due to people getting together for Thanksgiving. Many people in the community did the right thing."
But officials warn that the data is no reason for groups to congregate for Christmas and other holiday celebrations.
"It's going to be a tough one," Poloncarz said. "We know people want to be with their family on Christmas. We know people are definitely going to want to be in church on Christmas or Christmas Eve. It's a tough situation but we're asking people once again to avoid these small gatherings outside your own family units, so to speak, or the people you spend all your day with because that's how you spread it. I really thank the people of Erie County for following what we were suggesting for Thanksgiving. It made a difference."
The county has launched a website dedicated to information about the coronavirus vaccine. Read more about it here
