Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente was on the Keeler Show on Wednesday discussing the largest single-day increase of COVID-19 cases in the county since the pandemic began.

On Tuesday, Oneida County announced 214 new cases of the virus in what Picente referred to as the highest number increase in what he now calls the "second wave" of the pandemic. Picente said the numbers absolutely worry him going forward, especially with Thanksgiving, Black Friday and the holiday weekend upcoming.

During the interview, Picente discussed some new takeaways from the current state of the virus and yesterday's briefing.

• The increase in cases has made it impossible for the Health Department's contact tracers to keep up with active cases. He said he's now telling people that if they are symptomatic or have tested positive to reach out to their contact exposures immediately and to isolate themselves and those that they have close contact with.

• The county is no longer going to announce pubic exposures. Picente said to simply assume the virus is now everywhere.

• During Tuesday's press briefing, Picente stressed that if a person comes in contact with someone who is positive, they should isolate themselves and quarantine for 14-days, even if they have tested negative.

Picente urged people to try to celebrate the holiday only with people they normally are in close contact with. He recommended telephone and Zoom calls to communicate with other family members and friends who are outside a family's cohort.

On Wednesday, Oneida County added an additional 132 new positive cases binging the total number of current active cases to 1,193, a record high since the pandemic began in March. There were no new deaths in Oneida County, but hospitalizations continue to rise as there are now 61 county residents hospitalized due to COVID-19.

Herkimer County reported 10 new positive cases bringing the active number of cases in the county to 165.

Watch the entire interview with County Executive Picente:

 

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