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Fifth confirmed COVID-19 case in Chautauqua County

MAYVILLE — Chautauqua County Executive PJ Wendel on Friday announced that there are now five confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the county.

Wendel made the announcement during a press conference in Mayville. He continued to stress the need for social distancing and avoiding being in contact with others while the pandemic continues to spread.

Christine Schuyler, public health director, said the virus is circulating locally, and noted that specific information on those who have tested positive will not be released to the public. She said those who might have been in contact with confirmed cases will be contacted by county health officials.

“We have a very serious virus spreading in our nation,” Schuyler said.

The two new cases are in addition to three announced earlier this week: a Panama resident who recently traveled to New York City; a Dunkirk woman in her 30s who recently visited Buffalo; and a Silver Creek man, also in his 30s, who visited Buffalo.

Schuyler said there continues to be a shortage in testing supplies, as is the case elsewhere. “There’s very, very limited testing in the county,” she said, later stating, “I wish this country was better prepared. This is an area we are absolutely playing catch up on.”

She also alluded to new testing options that are being developed that cut down on the time it takes to get results. However, she stressed it’s unknown when those tests might be available locally.

Asked about the number of ventilators, Schuyler said she wasn’t aware how many were in the county. However, she said none were being sent to New York City, where Gov. Andrew Cuomo has pleaded for additional supplies.

Meanwhile, the Cattaraugus County Department of Health announced Friday its first confirmed case of the coronavirus. In a message posted around noon, the county Health Department said it had one confirmed case of the virus, with 58 people in mandatory quarantine; 126 people have been tested, with 108 coming back negative.

In it’s Response Hub, the county said the confirmed case involves an individual in the northwest portion of the county.

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