A somber Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon announced the region had its deadliest day of the COVID-19 pandemic Thursday. Five residents died as a result of the virus in the past 24 hours.
Regarding the demographics of those who died, McMahon said ages range from 50s to 90s. Three were men and two were women. Four were Caucasian and one was African American.
“It’s five individuals who have people who love them,” said McMahon. “Five individuals whose families, family members probably didn’t get to say goodbye, didn’t really get to have a lot of communication. So this is, this is tough. This is really tough.”
There are now 579 positive cases. 283 of these cases are currently active, meaning 279 have recovered. McMahon said Onondaga County has averaged about 19 new positive cases per day since the start of the pandemic. He said he believes the data will get better, but people need to continue social distancing.
McMahon said he is hearing the call to restart the community's economy, and public health will take priority. However, he acknowledges the economic hardship the pandemic has caused. He pointed to the Onondaga County Economic Developmentwebsite that has job postings for businesses that are hiring.
“Because economic recovery doesn’t need to wait for a restart,” said McMahon. “There are companies operating right now that are hiring right now. If you’re out of work, please look at that and those options.”
McMahon said the county will keep the page updated with new postings. Onondaga County health officials will analyze the data that we see after the two week voluntary shelter-in-place, and see if it is possible to make an argument to reopen earlier or at a different pace than the rest of the state. The shelter-in-place order lasts until Tuesday, April 21st.
