It really came as no shock as the new COVID variants took hold in Wayne County and throughout the country.

Past experiences following COVID trends in Europe meant it was only a matter of time before the less severe, faster spreading virus would rear its ugly head here.

“Cases of COVID-19 are increasing locally in and around Wayne County”, said Wayne County Public Health Director, Diane Devlin.

“Cases have doubled in the Finger Lakes region and in Wayne County over the last two weeks. We anticipate cases will continue to rise as we enter the Easter holiday weekend. In addition, many families will be returning from spring break travel where they may have been exposed to COVID-19.”

• Everyone 5 years and older should get a COVID-19 vaccination to help protect against COVID-19.

• People who are not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines and children under 5 years old who are not able to get a COVID-19 vaccine should continue taking steps to prevent getting sick.

• If you are eligible for a booster, get boosted.

• If you are 50 and over, you may be at increased risk for serious illness, consider getting a 2nd COVID-19 Booster

• If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, get tested.

• If you test positive for COVID-19, stay home from work or school for at least 5 days.

• If you test positive and are at high risk of serious illness from COVID-19,  Contact your healthcare provider.

• If you are at increased risk for complications due to COVID-19 or are unvaccinated or under vaccinated, consider wearing a mask in public places.

As of this time, several members of the Wayne County Board of Supervisors are home recovering from COVID.

Wayne County Public Health offers free COVID-19 vaccinations every Thursday for its residents at the Wayne County Health Services Building located at 1519 Nye Road in Lyons from 10-Noon and 2:00-4:00 pm. Email us at wcph@co.wayne.ny.us or call us at (315) 946-5749 to schedule an appointment. Positive home test results should be reported. Visit https://www.wcphny.com/covid-19/ and click on COVID-19 Home Test Reporting.