Hospitalizations up again in WNY, Dr's encouraging vaccinations to combat it

}}}}} AS WNY'S COVIDPOSITIVITY RATE REMAINS AT ASTATEWIDE HIGH -- SO TOO DOHOSPITALIZATIONS.

72% OF ALLERIE COUNTY BEDS ARE OCCUPIED.FOR THE PAST WEEK -- WESTERNNEW YORK HAS CONSISTENTLY SEENMORE THAN 340 PEOPLE IN THEHOSPITAL PER DAY DUE TO COVID19 -- A LARGE SPIKE FROM THEBEGINNING OF APRIL.

BUT ITSSTILL 72% HIGHER THAN IT WASTHREE WEEKS BEFORE THE RATES--AS YOU CAN SEE BY THIS CHARTPROVIDED BY THE STATE-- AREHIGHER THAN THE INITIAL ONSETOF THE CORONAVIRUS LAST YEAR-- AND THE HIGHEST SINCEFEBRUARY.

ONE OF THOSEHOSPITALS TAKING IN MOREPATIENTS -- ECMC.

WE ARE VERYFULL - VERY FULL - AS ARE MOSTHOSPITALS IN ERIE COUNTY ECMCEMERGENCY PHYSICIAN DR SAMUELCLOUD SAYS THAT HOSPITALS AREEQUIPPED TO HANDLE THIS AFTERA YEAR FIGHTING COVID-19.

BUTWHAT MAKES THIS SPIKEINTERESTING?

SINCE THE MIDDLEOF MARCH WE STARTED SEEING ANINCREASE IN YOUNGER SICKERPATIENTS THAN WE HAD BEENSEEING IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARYTHE AVERAGE AGE IS IN THEFIFTIES NOW WHERE IN THEBEGINNING LAST MARCH IT WASTHE 70'S.

EVEN PEOPLE IN THEIR20S NOW ARE HOSPITALIZEDUNFORTUNATELY DR CLOUD SAYSTHIS COULD BE DUE TO THERELAXING OF MASK WEARING ANDTHE INTRODUCTION OF MOREVARIANTS OF THE VIRUS.HOPEFULLY WE ARE AT THE PEAKOF THIS NOW THIRD WAVE HE SAYSTHE BEST WAY TO COMBAT THERISING HOSPITALIZATIONNUMBERS?

TO GET PEOPLEVACCINATED.

PLEASE DO THIS SOTHAT WE CAN GET THIS UNDERCONTROL AND HEADED BACK DOWNTO THE NUMBERS WE SAW LASTSUMMER DR CLOUD SAYS THATTHESE NEXT FEW WEEKS ARECRUCIAL IN GETTING THE NUMBERSDOWN -- AS HE HOPES ANOTHERWAVE ISNT ON THE HORIZON.

IMHOPEFUL WE CAN AVOID A FALLSURGE WHICH WOULD THEN PUTHOSPITALS AT CAPACITY AGAIN INBUFFALO JS 7EWNNOW THAT ALL ADULTS IN THE"U-S" ARE ELIGIBLE F