CATSKILL — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has downgraded Greene County to a “substantial” level of risk for COVID-19 transmission, down from the agency’s “high” grading the county had received previously.
Columbia County remains under the highest level or risk as defined by the federal agency.
Greene’s status was downgraded by the CDC after the county fell to 86.89 cases per 100,000 residents over the course of the last seven days that statistics were recorded by the agency.
A level above 100 cases per 100,000 residents crosses the threshold for high risk, with Columbia County currently at 129.50 cases according to the CDC.
Greene County Administrator Shaun Groden said the CDC status change for the county represented an overall positive trend in the county’s COVID numbers.
“It means something from 30,000 feet,” he said. “What I read this morning (Friday) was that the CDC was going to drop the indoor mask recommendation. So ,that further underscores our letter to the governor to say let our kids breathe free.”
According to reports, the CDC is set to imminently issue new guidance that could recommend that masks are no longer necessary in parts of the country with low COVID hospitalizations rates and low case numbers.
The Greene County Legislature sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul on Feb. 16 asking her to drop the school mask mandate in advance of her expected decision on the issue in the first week of March.
According to the CDC, Greene County had a COVID positivity rate of 4.63 percent, as of Feb. 25, while Columbia’s percentage rate stood at 7.46 percent.
The CDC classification, in conjunction with the Greene County Department of Health’s figures that list the county as having 60 active positive COVID cases, are positive trends after the Omicron variant surge earlier this winter shot daily cases in the county above four figures, Groden said.
“Certainly it’s another statistic, like our own, be it hospitalizations or the percentages, that are getting through,” he said. “So, hopefully we can get back to life.”
There are currently 10 Greene County residents in hospitals due to COVID-related illnesses.
In Columbia County, there were 26 active COVID cases as of Feb. 24, with 12 residents hospitalized due to the virus.
Columbia County Department of Health Director Jack Mabb said this week he hoped to see cases reach a level in Columbia this spring where the county could also see its CDC risk level move from the highest level of code red to the current Greene County level of orange.
“I think that we’re going to stabilize around 15 to 20 cases,” he said. “And if we do, it might not be until April that we see that color move, if that continues.”
Under the CDC’s metrics, counties with between 10 and 49.99 new cases per 100,000 residents over seven days would receive a designation of a moderate level of COVID risk, which no county in the state has reached. Greene is joined by Dutchess, Rockland and Westchester counties, as well as the New York City’s five boroughs and Long Island in receiving an orange risk level as defined by the CDC.