New York's Southern Tier avoided the first COVID-19 outbreak. Now it's getting hit. - Pressconnects

New daily positive cases the across the region on a seven day rolling average range from a high of 40 per 100,000 residents in Chemung County, where a church has been identified as source of super spreaders, to seven in Chautauqua.

Six of New York's 10 most infected counties are in the Southern Tier or are contiguous to it.

The numbers represent a striking reversal for a region that, because of a low infection rate, was one of the first to exit initial restrictions implemented when the virus first spread throughout New York.

A Broome County Transit bus was converted into a mobile COVID-19 testing site as cases surge in the county. (Photo: Provided).

In Broome County, 495 new cases were reported between Oct.

11; 237 reported in Chemung; 156 in Steuben; and 71 in Tioga, according to state numbers, some of the highest totals since virus outbreaks first appeared in March.

Recent positive virus trends in the Tier outpace those in higher density regions such as New York City's boroughs, Albany and Rochester, and much of the rest of the state where the virus has largely been held in check.

Counties with high cases per 100,000 residents on a seven day rolling average  include Chemung, 285; Broome, 269; Rockland, 215; Cortland and Steuben, both at 164; Tioga, 147; Orange, 116; and Schuyler, 90.".

As a region, the Southern Tier had the highest infection rate at 23.8 per 100,000 residents, three times the state average, followed by Mid-Hudson at 11 and Central New York at 7.3, according to figures compiled by New York.

Tompkins County has the lowest infection rate of any Southern Tier county, with two of 8,475 tested on Sunday positive.

Brian Haarer, an assistant professor of biochemistry and microbiology, works in a lab at the State University of New York Upstate Medical University that conducts COVID-19 pooled surveillance testing for all SUNY schools and a variety of other colleges across the state.

22, 2020. (Photo: Georgie Silvarole/New York State Team).

Late last week, New York designated a portion of Broome County a "Yellow Zone," with restrictions on restaurants and public gatherings including houses of worship.

The check in point at Broome County's Mobile Covid-19 Testing Site, located in the parking lot of St.

Health officials across the Tier have urged residents to take extra precautions to guard against the virus by avoiding social situation with more than four persons and observe physical distancing and facemask protocols

Partick's Church on the West Side, supplementing an existing conventional testing site on the Binghamton University campus

Binghamton remained the epicenter for the virus with 192 active cases, followed by Vestal, 106; Town of Union, 75; Town of Chenango 45; Johnson City 35

Yellow zone explained: COVID-19 Yellow Zone: Broome County schools still waiting for weekly testing guidelines