Can’t Get Current Numbers – Latimer on COVID-19
In a sign of how fast the COVID-19 pandemic is taking hold, and the strain it is placing on all levels of government and the healthcare system, County Executive and Rye guy George Latimer has told MyRye.com he simply cannot get reliable, current numbers for COVID-19 cases in the city of Rye.
(PHOTO: Latimer on 60 Minutes last Sunday.)
"NYS controls the daily announced number of coronavirus cases; they download to us case information that consistently lags the aggregate County numbers they announce daily. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of total municipal numbers going forward with so many new cases announced and a two day lag in specifics from the State," Latimer told MyRye.com Friday morning.
"Anecdotes tell me that people in each community know who has been informed they are positive well before the County is officially notified. So, going forward I can’t stand behind numbers that I get for Rye City as to whether they are current or not, unless they are backed up by a downloaded file from the State. That will mean any number I provide will be out of date even as I share them. We’re trying to get the State to fix this point but for now they have not."
Clearly this lack of clarity is distressing but we should appreciate the honesty of the comment. It is also reasonable to assume any situation is substantially worse than reported numbers – so stay home and keep washing your hands!
