We at PPG just wanted to give a shout out to all of you who have been doing your best to do your part in controlling the spread of COVID-19! As the months pass and holidays come and go, we all know that it gets harder and harder to keep up with the social distancing, mask wearing, and hand hygiene that it takes to keep this from getting out of control.

However, we think there are some great victories that we have to look to for encouragement. Most school districts have managed to stay open safely, and some sports have even been able to complete seasons. Children have shown themselves to be way more resilient than any of us adults gave them credit for at the outset, both with mask wearing and with the occasional “brain biopsy” COVID swab! Though we are seeing an increase in pediatric cases just as there are in adults, children are tolerating it well and have only represented 1% of hospitalizations in Monroe county.

As the holidays approach, we implore you to consider a scaled back or even virtual holiday season. We need to protect the elderly: as of mid-November, 94% of COVID deaths in Monroe County have been age 65 or older, and much of the recent spread leading to new cases has been within households. Though children do not usually get severely ill, they can still spread the disease, including to grandma and grandpa! Happy Holidays, and stay safe!