While advising people to not gather for New Year’s Eve celebrations, Essex County public health officials say they are in the midst of seeing a “second wave” of COVID-19 cases stemming from Thanksgiving gatherings.

Essex County reported 25 new cases Tuesday and 23 new cases Wednesday.

Essex County Public Health Director Linda Beers said these numbers are “unprecedented.” This spike, she said, is not Christmas-related. It is the second wave of the post-Thanksgiving coronavirus spike. The virus has a two-week incubation period. Beers said gatherings on Nov. 26 resulted in spread of the virus to people who tested positive in the next two weeks. They in turn spread the virus to others around them, who began testing positive recently.

She said she hopes Christmas and New Year’s Eve do not compound this spike.

“The safest way to celebrate New Year’s is to celebrate at home with the people you live with, and virtually with everybody else,” Beers said. “I call them my ‘quaran-team.'”

She suggests celebrating “Christmas in July,” or ringing in the new year on it’s 6-month anniversary.

“Pop the champagne, celebrate, rock the world,” Beers said. “Have the party, as long as we’ve got everybody vaccinated by then.”

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Franklin County

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Franklin County Public Health reported six new positive cases Wednesday and resolved eight cases, bringing it’s total to 117 active positive cases. There were 859 people in isolation Wednesday.

In total, the county has seen 860 positive individuals since the start of the pandemic. Eight people have died of COVID-19-related complications.

The Bare Hill and Upstate Correctional facilities continue to see high numbers of inmates testing positive for the virus.

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Essex County

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Essex County Public Health reported 23 new cases Wednesday, bringing it’s total number of active cases to 95. Four of these people are hospitalized and 51 are inmates.

Of the 511 total, cumulative cases in Essex County 415 have recovered. Sixteen people have died of COVID-19-related complications.