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North Elba has most COVID-19 cases in Essex County

LAKE PLACID — The town of North Elba has the most COVID-19 cases in Essex County, new data from the county Health Department shows.

There were three test-confirmed cases in North Elba as of Tuesday, plus one suspected case. The town of Keene has one test-confirmed case.

There are also two lab-confirmed cases in Essex, one in Crown Point, one in Moriah and one in Westport. There are three suspected cases in Ticonderoga, two in Moriah and one in Elizabethtown.

North Elba is by far Essex County’s most populous town, with an estimated 8,100 residents in 2018, the last year available from the U.S. Census Bureau. It includes the village of Lake Placid, part of the village of Saranac Lake and the hamlet of Ray Brook.

The new town-level data was published one day after the Essex County Board of Supervisors voted to direct the county Health Department to release this data not only to lawmakers but to the general public.

“We want to urge Essex County residents to treat every public space in the county as a possible site of COVID-19 exposure, regardless of whether cases have been reported in your town or not,” county Public Health Director Linda Beers said. “Continue to practice social distancing, stay home as much as possible, and limit the frequency and duration of trips for essential items. We know that we haven’t reached our peak here in the North Country, so we have to remain vigilant.”

Countywide, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 — the disease caused by the novel coronavirus — remained at nine on Tuesday. The number of suspected cases — people with COVID-19 symptoms who aren’t eligible for testing, but whose doctors have said they’re a likely case — was seven countywide, up by two from Monday, according to the county Health Department.

“Suspect cases are handled in the same manner as lab-confirmed cases,” Beers said. “We issue a Health Order of Isolation to the individual and begin the contact tracing process to identify contacts of the suspect case. Anyone who is considered at risk of exposure is placed under quarantine.”

Four people with cases of COVID-19 have recovered, the Health Department said. None have died.

As of Wednesday morning, Franklin County Public Health reported nine test-confirmed cases of COVID-19 countywide and 28 suspected cases. Altogether, 113 people are in isolation or quarantine across the county. At least 165 test results for Franklin County residents have been returned negative. Franklin County has also reported no COVID-19 deaths.

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