Trend still up for Island COVID cases

COVID-19 cases continue to increase on Shelter Island, with the Town Board reporting that one more case has been detected this week.

That brings the number of Islanders infected with the virus to 97 since the Town began to count in March 2020.

Suffolk County has also seen an increase of COVID this week, with positive cases now at 6.2%, up from 5.3%, reflecting a steady trend up since the beginning of November. On Oct. 30, the County’s positivity rate was 2.31%.

At least one fatality has been reported in the County nearly every day of the month. Across the U.S., an average of more than 1,100 people have died per day in the last seven days from COVID-19, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) reported on Monday that the state has detected four more cases of the omicron variant, bringing the total number state-wide to 12. Two more cases were reported in the County, bringing the number to three.

Just under 69% of County residents are fully vaccinated. About 41% of the U.S. population is not yet fully vaccinated.