Oneida and Herkimer counties continued to set new records for active cases in the latest COVID-19 update on Friday. And, Oneida County also reported another coronavirus death - marking the 23rd straight day a county resident's live has been lost to it.

Oneida County

Hosting a LIVE briefing on Friday, Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente again pleaded with county residents to give some serious thought to how they will be spending the final two weeks of a miserable 2020. That message wrapped in the county's latest COVID report - which included 260 new positive tests, news of the 40th county resident to be lost in the last 3-plus weeks, and an active case total that is approaching 5,000.

''What we do over the next two weeks will determine the health of this community over the next few months,'' Picente said, referring to upcoming Christmas and New Year's gatherings.

''The way we celebrate these holiday has to be different,'' this year, Picente said - adding that making decisions in the best interest of friends and family this year could impact whether or not those loved ones will be with us to celebrate the holidays next year.

The 260 new cases added in Friday's report again pushed the county's active case total to a new high - a record that has been set then broken the following day for 25 consecutive days. By comparison, the case total in Oneida County stands at 4,712, while Onondaga County - with twice the population, and nearly twice the number of total COVID cases and deaths to date - posted an active case total on Friday of 3,325.

The latest death continues a somber streak for the county, having gone more than 3-weeks with at least one fatality a day. Since March the county has now lost 183 residents.

Hospitalizations remained steady at 134, but the number of patients in the Intensive Care Unit has doubled since Monday, not at 22.

Herkimer County

Herkimer County officials added 58 new positive cases Friday, a near record.

However, that also pushed the active case total to a new height, now at 566.

The number of hospitalized residents is eleven, unchanged from Thursday.

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