As the number of positive cases of COVID-19 continue to rise across New York state, they also continue to rise in Onondaga County. As of Sunday afternoon, the county had 45 confirmed cases.
County Executive Ryan McMahon said we can expect that number to continue to rise as more people are tested for the coronavirus.
"We’ve got essentially another 900 to 1,000 outstanding tests," McMahon said. "So we’re going to see similar numbers coming back positive. We need that. We need to identify these people. We need to get them help. And we need to quarantine everybody so we can get the curve moving downwards."
McMahon also noted that more than half of the positive cases in Onondaga County are in individuals who are under the age of 50. 13 cases involve people under 30. So he’s encouraging younger people to practice social distancing, especially those returning from Spring Break.
"40% of our cases are under 40. You got it. And these percentages are going to hold up," said McMahon. "So how do we get that trend down? Use social distance, be smarter. We take this seriously now. And I think that’s something everyone under 40 needs to step up and get that done."
McMahon encourages any young person returning from Spring Break to self-quarantine for two weeks. He also said the numbers show the spread of the virus to all points of Onondaga County. The city of Syracuse has the most, with 13 cases, but there are also at least a handful in most of the towns in Onondaga County.
Elsewhere around the region, Cayuga, Oswego, Jefferson, Madison and Oneida counties all reported new positive cases Sunday.
