In addition to lifting spirits in general, I believe this flyover is meant salute healthcare workers, so they are flying over areas with high concentrations of hospitals.
If you take a look at the Erie County stats I posted, you’ll note that the chances of dying while positive are pretty high.
I just checked, they are higher in Erie County than in all of NYS save for 2 counties in NYC.
I imagine the healthcare workers in Erie County are just as overworked and stressed. The ones who’ve lost their jobs even more so.