Onondaga County is reporting a lower COVID case rate than the rest of the state, which comes just a few months after the region experienced a surge that made it a hot spot in New York. Now, Onondaga’s case rate is about 11 cases per 100,000 residents, while the state's is around 31, according to the state's data.
Upstate Medical University’s Dr. Chris Morley said the change is likely because the region was one of the first areas to get hit by a wave of new variants, specifically the more contagious BA.2.
“We went up early and then came back down and that wave rippled out. What we're seeing around the rest of the state and, indeed, much of the country right now is that that wave is going up in other places, and it’ll come back down,” Morley said.
But Morley, who leads Upstate’s Department of Public Health and Preventative Medicine, said even as the region's case rate is coming down from a peak, the virus still poses a risk.
“What we are trying to stress is that if you are very concerned, if you have a variety of risk factors, if you're older, if you're actually caring for people who have risk factors, it's still wise to know that there's a lot of virus still circulating in the community,” Morely said.
Dr. Stephen Thomas, a professor at Upstate Medical University and the lead principal investigator of the Pfizer/BioNTech phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trial, said those more vulnerable to the consequences of contracting COVID should keep up with the vaccination recommendations.
"I would definitely recommend that anyone over the age of 60 or anyone who would do poorly if infected, like those with diabetes, kidney failure, pre-existing lung disease, or obesity, get a second booster shot," Thomas said.
Morley said people can take even more steps to stay safe if they are concerned.
“I still avoid indoor dining at restaurants, for example, especially if the restaurant is crowded, but I do some outdoor dining. So those are some precautions I’m personally taking and what I would recommend to other people,” Morley said.
Both doctors agree the warmer weather this summer should help further reduce cases.
"Being outside with the sun and open air and things of that nature will further mitigate the risk," Thomas said.
They suggested holding any gatherings outdoors this summer to decrease transmission.