Monroe County COVID-19 ICU cases back in double digits 

The number of people in intensive care units for COVID-19 treatment in Monroe County reached its highest point in almost two months on Thursday, according to figures from the county health department.

The county said there were 10 people with COVID-19 on ventilators for life support. It’s the first time in almost two months that ICU numbers have been in the double digits, but it’s still far below the peak of the local epidemic in April and May.

The county has also been running more diagnostic tests for the novel coronavirus as students arrive for classes at local universities. The health department reports receiving almost 12,000 test results in the last week.


Dozens of students at the Rochester Institute of Technology have tested positive, but RIT said none was hospitalized, and the overall risk on campus was low, as the positive results represented only about half a percent of the thousands of tests run on its students.

Spokesperson Ellen Rosen said none of the virus-positive students made it to campus. "We're making everyone get tested before they even arrive here," she said.

The University of Rochester, with five positive tests among its approximately 1,500 tested students, said it has a similar positivity rate. Rates among faculty were lower.

Across New York state, fewer than 1% of coronavirus tests have been coming back positive. It’s been more than a week since Monroe County recorded a death from COVID-19.