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The Cayuga County Health Department reported six deaths, including three nursing home residents. The three nursing home residents were two men in their 80s and one man in his 70s. Their facility wasn't disclosed by the department. 

Three other Cayuga County residents died after being hospitalized with COVID-19. The residents — two women and one man — tested positive for the virus and had underlying medical conditions that may have contributed to their deaths, according to the health department. 

Before Monday, Cayuga County only had one day with multiple COVID-19 deaths — Dec. 13, when the county reported three deaths. 

Along with the six deaths on Monday, the health department said they learned of another Cayuga County resident who was hospitalized outside of the county and died on Nov. 18. The resident, a man in his 70s, tested positive for the virus and died at the hospital. 

With seven deaths reported on Monday, Cayuga County now has 22 COVID-19 fatalities this year. The three deaths in nursing homes were the first in Cayuga County skilled nursing facilities. According to the state Health Department's COVID-19 tracker, Cayuga was one of six counties that haven't reported virus-related nursing home deaths this year. Cayuga now is among 56 other counties with at least one nursing home COVID-19 death during the pandemic. 

The deaths are part of a worsening situation in Cayuga County as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have been on the rise for weeks. The health department said there were 109 new cases admitted into mandatory isolation on Monday. The new cases include 22 incarcerated individuals at local correctional facilities who tested positive for the virus. 

There are outbreaks at Auburn and Cayuga correctional facilities, the two state prisons in Cayuga County. Cayuga, a medium-security prison, has 125 confirmed cases — the fifth-highest total in the state corrections system. Auburn, a maximum-security prison, has 31 confirmed cases. 

Cayuga County has 756 active cases, a new record. The number of residents in mandatory quarantine, which is required for individuals who have contact with positive cases, remains at 4,588. 

The active and confirmed case totals don't include 106 people who have tested positive for COVID-19 but are awaiting admission into isolation. These are residents who haven't been contacted to be placed into mandatory isolation. However, local officials have said that if residents receive their test results and they are positive for the virus, they should isolate until they are contacted by the health department. 

Cayuga County's confirmed case total is up to 2,538. There have been 1,670 cases in December, which is much higher than the previous monthly record of 422 in November. 

There are 40 COVID-19 patients at Auburn Community Hospital, with the decrease from 43 on Sunday likely due to the three deaths reported on Monday. It's the third consecutive day that there have been at least 40 patients with the virus at the local hospital. The count doesn't include patients at hospitals outside of the county.