WCDO Radio News

P.M. NEWS MONDAY 10-19-20

Governor Cuomo today announced that 78,993 tests were reported for Sunday, yielding 898 positives or a 1.13% positivity rate.  Patient Hospitalization went up by 21 to 934, the number of patients in an ICU beds decreased slightly to 198, the number of patients on Ventilators went up by 4 to 106, 14 New Yorkers died due to COVID-19 Sunday, bringing the total to 25,659.

Chenango County Public Health announced that they are at 313 cases of COVID 19 since March.  Currently there are 49 Active Cases with 4 Hospitalizations, 223 Quarantines, 7 deaths, 246 recoveries & about 33,550 tests have been conducted.

The State University of New York Athletic Conference announced that they are cancelling all winter sports seasons.  The sports that are impacted include the conference schedules and championships for men’s and women’s basketball, as well as men’s ice hockey.  The championships for men’s and women’s swimming & diving and indoor track & field are also cancelled.  SUNYAC will continue to plan for the possibility of spring sports, that decision will be made at a later date.

Delaware County Sheriff’s Investigators arrested and charged a Parksville man in connection with a January 2nd burglary at the Hancock County Store.  Investigators noted similarities to the December 9th 2019 burglaries at the Hancock Mirabito Convenience Store and the Hancock Post Office.  Delaware County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested and charged 57-year-old Julius Leonard, Jr., of Parksville with 3rd degree burglary & petit larceny in relation to the Hancock Country Store burglary & for a parole violation. Leonard was arraigned & was remanded to the Delaware County Correctional Facility without bail pending further court action.

A.M. NEWS MONDAY 10-19-20

Governor Cuomo held a COVID 19 briefing Sunday, he said that the next big project will be how to deliver prospective vaccines to New Yorkers, how much federal help will there be & how do they store the vaccines that may require -80 degree refrigeration, for anywhere from 20 to 40 million doses:

(Cuomo 10-19-20)

The State had 1390 positive tests on Saturday, there were 913 hospitalized, 200 in ICU beds, 102 on ventilators, & 7 died from the virus.

Delaware County Public Health announced another positive case of COVID 19 Sunday.  They now report 140 cases, with 8 deaths, 121 recoveries, 96 are in quarantine, there are 11 active cases, and no one is hospitalized.

Otsego County Department of Health announced 2 new COVID 19 cases; both are in SUNY Oneonta students. Otsego County reports 927 total confirmed cases, 8 active cases, 2 hospitalizations, 7 deaths, there are 744 probable and confirmed cases linked to SUNY Oneonta & 21 confirmed cases in Hartwick College students

Delaware County Sheriff's Department responded Friday to a crash where 3 people were transported to O’Connor Hospital.   The 2-car, head-on collision occurred on State Highway 28 in Delhi, at 10:45 AM,   87 year-old Robert Helt of Margaretville crossed into the opposing lane and struck an on-coming car being driven 54 year-old FaithAnn Hill of Delhi.  Helt was extricated from his vehicle by a homeowner and passerby immediately following the collision.  Hill and a passenger in her vehicle, 31 year-old Corinne Wheeler of Delhi were extricated from their vehicle by members of the Delhi Fire Department, all 3 were transported to O’Connor Hospital in Delhi for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.  Sheriff’s Deputies are continuing their investigation of this accident.

The State Health Department announced that another 1360 people tested positive for COVID 19 Tuesday, out of more than 108,000 tests administered. 748 people were hospitalized, an increase of 43, 176 COVID patients were in ICU. 72 patients were in intubated. The state has had over 468,000 cases since March; the state death toll is up to 25,545 after 8 additional deaths were reported Tuesday.

SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras announced today that Binghamton University will be going to all-remote learning for at least the next 2 weeks. 1 of the state's 20 COVID clusters is in Binghamton, with a 5-6% positivity rate, plus there have been over 80 positive tests among the University population. Remote classes will begin tomorrow, all on-campus dining will switch to takeout only and all in-person extracurricular programs and other nonessential student activities will be halted, including clubs & intramural sports. The university’s bus service will run on a limited schedule.

Chenango County Public Health announced that they were up to 263 total cases of COVID 19, with 10 active cases, 3 hospitalizations, 112 Quarantines. They report 231 Recoveries, 7 deaths & they have performed 30,451 tests.

9 Fire Departments & state Police responded early Sunday morning to a fire at Jones Road in the town of Otsego, that resulted in 1 fatality. 2 adults & 3 children escaped the blaze, 1 adult male went back in to the burning house to save a 77 year old male, who later died at Bassett Hospital, and the deceased has been identified as Robert Huestis. The cause of the fire is under investigation, no foul play is suspected.

Otsego County Department of Health reported 2 new cases reported Tuesday; both are close contacts of positive cases. The Department is investigating a cluster of 7 positive cases related to a wedding, which was not held in Otsego County, all contacts have been notified & put on quarantine. Otsego County reports a total of 912 confirmed cases; there are 30 active cases with 1 hospitalization. There have been 7 deaths, 731 cases are linked to SUNY Oneonta & 20 confirmed cases are in Hartwick College students.

Governor Cuomo announced that there were 1189 news positive COVID 19 tests on M0onday with over 88,000 tests administered. Hospitalizations increased again to 571, there are 147 in ICU beds and 61 are on Ventilators, there were 2 deaths Monday, the death toll is 25,470.

Chenango County Public Health announced that they have 3 more cases of COVID 19, giving them a total of 251. There are 2 Active Cases, 1 Hospitalization, there have been 7 deaths, 228 recoveries & over28,700 tests performed.

Chenango Arts Council has not been able to bring any live events to the region this year due to the pandemic & subsequent shutdown, & they had to come up with a way to pay the bills and keep going until better days arrived. Council Executive Director Alecia O'Neill told WCDO News that they have devised an online catalog on their website to act as a conduit between those who want to see the arts and the artists:

(Alecia O'Neill 9-29-20)

O'Neill said that the Guide to the New World of Arts and Culture is an interactive 54 page online catalog is available at chenangoarts.org, more information about sponsorships or the online catalog is available at 336-2787.

A.M. NEWS TUESDAY 9-29-20

The Otsego County Department of Health had 15 additional cases reported over the past 4 days. 1 of those is a Hartwick college student, 5 were county residents, & 9 were SUCO students, of those 9, 5 were new infections and 4 are already recovered but had not been reported to the health department. Otsego County reports a total of 883 confirmed cases, with 15 active cases, 1 hospitalization, there have been 7 deaths. 714 cases are linked to SUNY Oneonta, 18 confirmed cases were from Hartwick College students

Delaware County Public Health reported 1 new active case of COVID-19 Monday. The known active cases in the County is 4, with 3 recovering at home & 1 is hospitalized. To date there have been 121 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Delaware County, with 20 people now under mandatory quarantine, 7 people have died and 110 have fully recovered.

On Saturday State Police responded to a motorcycle crash on State Route 17 in the town of Sanford. The investigation revealed that 23-year old Thomas Alsdorf of Washingtonville went off the roadway and struck a guiderail, he & his passenger were ejected. Alsdorf was airlifted to Upstate University Hospital in critical condition, the passenger, 21-year old Angela Decker of Westtown was transported to Wilson Medical Center where she succumbed to her injuries. The crash remains under investigation.

Governor Cuomo announced that there were 786 new cases of COVID 19 diagnosed Thursday, about 1% of all those tested.  there were 8 deaths Thursday, the total amount of cases in New York is now over 400,000, there were 826 people hospitalized, 92 were on ventilators, the death toll is up to 24, 968.

Chenango County Public health announced that they are up to 163 cases of the Coronavirus, with 105 Active Quarantines, no Hospitalizations, 141 Recoveries, 6 deaths and they have performed 12,545 tests.

A Class Action Lawsuit was filed by Gyms, Health Centers & spas Wednesday against the state and Governor Cuomo, after were not included in the Phase 4 re-opening following the COVID- 19 shutdowns in March.  Anna Banks of My Home Gym in Bainbridge said that their business was included in the lawsuit:

(Anna Banks 7-10-20)

Governor Cuomo said recently that the concerns about gym related business was mainly regarding their Air conditioning filtration systems, he said this week that filtration systems with a Merv 13 rating removed the COVID 19 virus from the air & more research was being conducted.

Otsego County Health Department announced today that they have 1 new case of the coronavirus, giving them a total of 81 so far.  No patients are hospitalized, 73 have recovered, there have been 5 deaths, 24 people are quarantined, and 26 people are being monitored after traveling from a state with a high rate of infection.

The Broome County Health Department announced that a person has tested positive for coronavirus following a large 4th of July gathering at 82 Front Street in Binghamton.  The Health Department advises that people that were at that event should self-quarantine until July 18th, and contact their healthcare provider if you develop symptoms including cough, fever and shortness of breath.  Testing is continuing at the drive-thru testing site at Binghamton University. Appointments can be made at 1-888-364-3065.

For the 16th day straight Delaware County reported no new cases of COVID-19 and no additional recoveries. To date there have been 82 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19, with 20 people quarantined, no one is isolated at home or in a hospital, 6 people have died and 76 have fully recovered.

Governor Cuomo held his Daily coronavirus Briefing at the Binghamton university school of Pharmacy this afternoon, he discussed the 1st phase of the re-opening of 3 Local Regions first, starting Friday, and the hope that it does not happen to fast & have an increase in Coronavirus cases:

(Cuomo 5-12-20)

Secretary to the Governor Melissa DeRosa said that Nursing homes across the state will now have to test their employees twice a week to make sure that the vulnerable populations in nursing homes also so not see an increase in the Coronavirus cases:

(DeRosa 5-12-20)

The state has 338,000 cases of the Coronavirus since early March, another 195 people died from the virus Monday, bringing the state death toll to 21,845.

The Bassett Hospital Network will begin to perform elective outpatient surgeries & non-urgent outpatient procedures that had topped with the Governor's executive order in March, when the state faced the potential of not having g enough hospital beds to treat Coronavirus Patients.  In Otsego County, they have not had a positive test in over a week, and will proceed with caution, according to President & CEO of Bassett Healthcare Network Dr. William Streck:

(Streck 5-12-20)

President of Bassett Medical Center Dr. William LaCates also commented:

(LaCates 5-12-20)

The loss of revenue from all of the postponed elective surgeries was a major hit to the Bassett Health care systems bottom line according to Dr. Streck, which he said will take some time to get back to previous levels.

Chenango County Public Health announced that they are up to 111 positive Coronavirus cases, they currently have 37 people quarantined, 5 hospitalized, 79 people have recovered, 4 have died.

Delaware County Public Health is reporting no new cases of COVID-19, the known active cases in the County are now 8.  To date there have been 75 confirmed positive cases, 10 people are under mandatory quarantine 13 cases have been transferred out of the county, 3 are isolated in a hospital, 5 are recovering at home, 4 people are deceased and 50 have fully recovered.

New York State Health Department reported Sunday that they have 337,055 Coronavirus cases, Hospitalizations continue to decline, with about 7200 people being treated statewide,  161 people died on Sunday,  the state death total is now 21,640.

American Hockey League announced today that the League’s Board of Governors has voted to cancel the remainder of the 2019-20 AHL regular season and the 2020 Calder Cup Playoffs due to the ongoing COVID-19 public health crisis.  The Binghamton Devils announced that ticket questions can be found at binghamtondevils.com/tickets.

The Broome County Health Department announced today that they are up to 371 Coronavirus cases since early March; they have 23 deaths, 241 recoveries & 217 patients being monitored by the Health Department.

Governor Cuomo announced that The State Department of Health is partnering with the NY Genome Center and Rockefeller University to conduct a genome and RNA sequencing study to better understand COVID-related illnesses in children and the possible genetic basis of the Kawasaki syndrome, following the deaths of 3 children from the Coronavirus:

(Cuomo children)

State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker comments:

(Zucker 5-11-20)

There have been 85 reported cases in New York where children are experiencing symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease and toxic shock-like syndrome possibly due to COVID-19. The illness has taken the lives of a 5-year old in New York City, a 7-year old in Westchester County and a teenager in Suffolk County.

New York State Health Department reported Sunday that they have 335,395 Coronavirus cases, Hospitalizations continue to decline, with about 7900 people being treated, however 1100 new patients tested positive for the virus Saturday & Sunday statewide,  207 people died on Saturday  the state death total is now 21,478.

Chenango County Public Health announced more positive Coronavirus cases Sunday, bringing their total up to 109.  They currently have 42 people quarantined, 5 are hospitalized, 4 have died & 79 have recovered.

Delaware County reports that they are up to 75 confirmed cases of COVID-19 Sunday, There are an additional 12 people under mandatory quarantine,  13 confirmed cases have been transferred back to the patients home county, 3 are hospitalized, 6 are isolated at home, 4 people are deceased and 49 have fully recovered.

State Police responded to a motor vehicle accident between a Pickup Truck & a tractor trailer in the town of Coventry Saturday night at about 9:50 PM, at the intersection of State Routes 206 and 235.  Police said that a passenger in the Pick-up,  46 year old Michelle Lieberman of Smithtown died from injuries sustained in the accident.  62 year old William DeRosa of Islip Terrace was the driver of the pickup, he sustained minor injuries & was transported to Wilson Hospital, along with 2 children who were also in the pick-up truck.  The driver of the tractor trailer 64 year old Robert Anderson of Lisle was not injured.  The investigation revealed that DeRosa was traveling on State Route 235 when he failed to stop at a stop sign and struck the tractor trailer traveling on State Route 206.  The investigation continues, alcohol does not appear to have been a factor in the crash.

Governor Cuomo announced the latest Coronavirus numbers today, with 299,691 total cases; hospitalizations went up by about 950 for the 2nd straight day, 330 new deaths were reported, bringing the death toll to 18,015.  Governor Cuomo stated that the state and surrounding states are going to re-open when the numbers say that it's time to re-open:

(Cuomo 4-29-20)

Hospitals will be allowed to begin elective surgeries again in some but not all counties; Dr. Jim Malatras explained why some counties can & neighboring one cannot:

(Dr. Jim Malatras 4-29-20)

Locally, Broome, Delaware & Chenango Counties will be able to perform elective surgeries, but Otsego County will not.

Chenango County Public Health released their latest Coronavirus numbers today.  They have 95 confirmed cases, with 8 people hospitalized, 66 have recovered, 3 have died, and 80 are currently under quarantine.

Otsego County Department of Health reported 1 new Coronavirus cases today, giving them 62 positive test results, currently 2 people are hospitalized, 44 have recovered, & there have been 4 deaths.

Delaware County Public Health reported no new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday. To date there have been 69 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 reported to Delaware County. There are an additional 21 people under mandatory quarantine and 1 person under precautionary quarantine. 11 confirmed cases have been transferred out of the county, 2 are isolated in a hospital, 8 are isolated at home, 4 people are deceased and 44 have fully recovered.

Governor Cuomo announced that the state will start conducting drive-thru testing in Broome County at Binghamton University shortly, to make an appointment call the COVID Hotline Phone Number at 1-888-364-3065.

Governor Cuomo today announced that the State has over 149,000 cases of the Coronavirus; they have reported 6,268 deaths so far, with another record breaking amount on Tuesday of 779 deaths.

(Cuomo 4-8-20)

Cuomo said that the Number of those entering Hospitals & ICU beds is about 1/3 of the peak number from 10 days to 2 weeks ago; the number of recoveries continues to steadily increase.

Governor Cuomo today said that New Yorkers, who are unemployed because of the Coronavirus situation, will be receiving a $600 benefit, and their weekly benefits will be extended an additional 13 weeks to 39 weeks.

Chenango County Health officials announced Wednesday that they are now up to 53 confirmed Coronavirus cases.  7 people are hospitalized, 7 have recovered, 67 are in precautionary Quarantine, and 327 are in Mandatory quarantine.

The Otsego County Department of Health had 38 confirmed cases of the Coronavirus Wednesday, 4 are hospitalized, 9 have recovered & there has been 1 death.   113 people are in mandatory quarantine, 2 people on precautionary quarantine, 43 people have been released from quarantine.

The Coronavirus pandemic has thrown the Dairy industry, local Assemblyman Cliff Crouch explains:

(Crouch 4-8-20)

Cornell University economists predict that the Coronavirus could be even more devastating to the Dairy industry than the 2009 recession.

Delaware County meeting will continue today, by teleconferencing.  The Department of Public Works Committee will meet via conference call at 8:45 AM, The Delaware County Finance Committee will meet via conference call at 10:30 AM, and The Delaware County Board of Supervisors will hold its regular meeting at 1:00 p.m. by teleconference as part of the County's COVID-19 response plan.  All business conducted by the Board of Supervisors will be recorded for the public and a full transcript will be made available on the county’s webpage.

An American Red Cross Blood Drive will be held today at the AO Fox Hospital Tri-Town Campus in Sidney.  The Blood drive will be from 1:30 to 5:30 PM, Appointments are requested at 1-800- RED CROSS or at redcrossblood.org, or with the Red Cross Blood Donor App.