On February 11, 2020 the World Health Organization announced an official name for the disease that is causing the 2019 novel coronavirus outbreak, first identified in Wuhan China. The new name of this disease is coronavirus disease 2019, abbreviated as COVID-19. In COVID-19, ‘CO’ stands for ‘corona,’ ‘VI’ for ‘virus,’ and ‘D’ for disease. Formerly, this disease was referred to as “2019 novel coronavirus” or “2019-nCoV”. There are many types of human coronaviruses including some that commonly cause mild upper-respiratory tract illnesses. COVID-19 is a new disease, caused be a novel (or new) coronavirus that has not previously been seen in humans. The name of this disease was selected following the World Health Organization (WHO) best practice for naming of new human infectious diseases.
COVID-19 Contact Tracing is No Longer Required in New York State
Health Commissioner Mary Bassett says there will no longer be contact tracing required of local health departments in order to focus on vaccination and testing.
Broome County Executive Garnar has COVID-19
Add Broome County Executive Jason Garnar to the list of break-through COVID cases.
Thousands of COVID-19 Home Test Kits Distributed in Broome
Thousands of home COVID-19 rapid test kits are in the hands of Broome County residents in a second round of giveaways at Otsiningo Park on January 8.
COVID Numbers Reach Astronomical Levels in Southern Tier & NYS
New York State’s numbers of new cases of COVID-19 continue to take astronomical jumps.
Binghamton University Named New COVID Testing Site
10 new COVID-19 testing sites will be opening this week on the State University of New York campuses and at Syracuse University.
Broome Exec. Grim Prediction for Jan./ NYS Mask Mandate Extended
Broome County Executive Jason says January is on board to be the "most difficult of the pandemic."
Broome County Distributes KN90 Masks in the Fight Against COVID
Broome County is distributing tens of thousands of KN90 masks from New York State.
Celebrities Pull Out of 2021 New Year’s Eve Performances
From positive tests to unexplained reasons, find out who will no longer be hitting the stage.
Covid-19 KO’s My Christmas Holiday Tradition, Again
It's not easy to tell if a person is positive with Covid-19 or just sick with a cold or flu.
Easing COVID Isolation Guidelines Met With Praise & Pushback
The easing of quarantine recommendations for people who have contracted COVID is greeted with praise by New York's Governor but concern by nurses' groups.