Updated methods to note levels of COVID-19 in communities currently has Chautauqua County at medium risk for transmission. That comes as fewer cases of the virus are being reported across the country, though exact numbers are tougher to track now with the rising popularity of at-home tests.

COVID-19 community levels, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced, take into account hospital beds being used, hospital admissions and new COVID-19 cases reported in a county.

“Now, as the virus continues to circulate in our communities, we must focus our metrics beyond just cases in the community and direct our efforts toward protecting people at high risk for severe illness and preventing COVID 19 from overwhelming our hospitals and our healthcare systems,” CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said last week in announcing the update. “This new framework moves beyond just looking at cases and test positivity to evaluate factors that reflect the severity of disease, including hospitalizations and hospital capacity, and helps to determine whether the level of COVID 19 and severe disease are low, medium, or high in a community.”

Each level also comes with “precautions to protect yourself and others from COVID-19 based on the COVID-19 Community Level in your area,” the CDC said.

In Chautauqua County, the “medium” community level comes with the following note from the CDC:

¯ If you are at high risk for severe illness, talk to your healthcare provider about whether you need to wear a mask and take other precautions

¯ Stay up to date with COVID-19 vaccines

¯ Get tested if you have symptoms.

As of Wednesday, the COVID community level in Warren County was also listed as being medium.

And in Cattaraugus County, the community level was low and cames with the recommendation of staying up-to-date with vaccines and getting tested if symptoms are presented.

Due to a “community shift to rapid testing resources” resulting in only a fraction of positive cases being documented, the Chautauqua County Health Department said it will no longer report weekly virus case numbers.

In an update Wednesday, the Health Department reported 139 new cases for the week ending Feb. 26 as well as three new virus-related deaths and eight people admitted to local hospitals due to COVID or virus-related complications. To date there have been 26,940 cases documented, 26,425 recoveries and 323 virus deaths.

MASK MANDATES LIFTED

SUNY Jamestown Community College announced this week it will no longer require face masks be worn in buildings and classrooms. It follows Gov. Kathy Hochul lifting a statewide mandate for masks in schools along with new CDC guidelines.

Students, staff and visitors who wish to wear a mask may continue doing so, the college said.

“Revised guidelines will continue to be formulated as a result of our daily review of local health department consultations and COVID-19 case data in JCC’s service area,” JCC President Daniel DeMarte said in a news release. “The administration, our health centers, and buildings and grounds teams remain vigilant in continuing to protect our students, employees, and communities to their utmost ability.”

Vaccination requirements for students haven’t changed. Per SUNY guidelines, students participating in on-campus classes and activities must have received the COVID-19 vaccine and booster. Weekly pool testing remains mandatory for unvaccinated employees and students with medical or religious exemptions. Pool testing also remains open to anyone who wishes to test.