As the number of new COVID cases in children is rising across Monroe County, county officials say local school districts are preparing to roll out random COVID testing next week.
In their weekly briefing, County Health Commissioner Dr. Michael Mendoza and County Executive Adam Bello said test kits are already on hand, and an announcement with details of the testing program will come next week.
Dr. Mendoza says the county is also changing its “back to school” protocol for students who have been kept home because of COVID-like symptoms. Instead of having to see a doctor first, they’ll only have to submit a negative COVID test and won’t need a doctor to sign off. That’s because pediatricians’ offices are increasingly busy with the uptick in new cases.
Also in the briefing, the Chief Medical Officers of Rochester Regional Health and UR Medicine said fewer than one percent of their staffs had refused to be vaccinated under the mandate or not gotten a pass on religious grounds. Those staffers have been placed on unpaid administrative leave.
Long waits are to be expected at emergency rooms as part of this continuing story. The hospitals also report many patients who should be moved to nursing homes for recovery are not being accepted currently by the nursing homes, making it harder to clear hospital beds.