NEW CITY – Rockland County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert said Tuesday that everyone should protect themselves from the current surge of COVID-19 in the county by wearing a mask that covers their nose and mouth and by getting vaccinated.
She said that during the week that ended January 9, there were 10,507 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Rockland. Most of the cases were Omicron with other variants such as Delta.
She said due to the high volume of cases, the health department is unable to routinely contact all positive cases and contacts reported through lab-confirmed testing. She said people should not report a positive home test to the health department since it cannot be verified.
“It is even more important for everyone who did not get their initial vaccine series to get it right away,” Dr. Ruppert said. “Ensuring as many people as possible, age five and older, are fully vaccinated remains the most effective action to prevent the spread of COVID-19.”
