Full Notification

In a press release, Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy reported today that there were 51 new positive cases yesterday and that the County’s COVID-19 pandemic total is now at 62,089 positive cases.  The County’s seven-day average of new daily positive cases decreased by 1/5^th of a case to 38.0 cases.
 
County DOH reported that there were no COVID-19 hospitalizations overnight and that the number of hospitalized County residents decreased by one to now 27 patients.  There are still four patients in the ICU.  The County’s pandemic death toll remained at 528. 
 
State DOH reported that the County’s rate for one vaccine dose as of yesterday was 81.1% of the County’s total population and 89.6% of the adult population, and the County’s rate for full-vaccination was 73.7% for the total population.  The State’s rate for one dose was 89.0% for the total population and 95.0% of adults, and the State’s rate for full-vaccination was 75.6% for the total population.
 
The State’s COVID-19 website reported that yesterday’s results for 129,162 tests Statewide were 2,124 or 1.6% positive, with the seven-day average decreasing to 1.8%.  The Capital Region had 4,271 tests of which 155 or 3.6% were positive, with the seven-day average decreasing to 3.2%.  The County had 1,308 tests of which 31 or 2.4% were positive, with the seven-day average decreasing to 2.6%.

Governor Hochul announced today that the State’s positive rate for tests was 1.64%.  Other COVID-19 data included new hospitalizations (1,832, -26), new admissions (229), ICU patients (310, -13), intubations (166, -10), and deaths (19).

Today, the State’s mandate for facemasks in schools ended.   It was the first time in nearly two years that schoolchildren were not required to have facemasks on in buses and schools.  The new State DOH guidance provides that students, staff and teachers should wear masks when returning to school during days 6-10 of their isolation period, and allows counties and school districts to implement a universal masking requirement in response to local conditions.  There are other guidelines if someone in school is determined to have been exposed or potentially exposed to a positive case.

To advance the nation’s return to a “new normal” after a nearly two-year pandemic, the Federal government released a 96-page National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan with the stated goals of protecting against and treating infections; preparing for new variants; preventing business and school shutdowns; and promoting vaccinations.  Not much new there, and the plan is somewhat similar to a 200-page plan issued last January.  The new plan includes a proposed "test to treat" system starting this month, subject to funding, where people can confirm a positive COVID case at a pharmacy or health center and then receive an immediate on-site antiviral treatment.

After nearly two years of investigating and contact tracing every positive case of COVID-19, and quarantining every person who had been in close contact with the case, the CDC announced that it no longer recommends this approach, and is encouraging health departments to focus those practices on high-risk settings, such as long-term care facilities.    

The Federal government also announced that persons who ordered free at-home COVID-19 tests at covidtests.gov would be able to order an additional set of four at-home tests starting next week, likely as early as Monday, March 7.  It took about a month for our home to receive the first order made back on January 18.

In response to the email yesterday that baseball’s cancellation of several games might cause the first abbreviated season in decades, several residents reminded me that there were shortened baseball seasons over the past two years.  It is another example that this pandemic has lasted far too long.  I meant to say that it could be the first abbreviated season in 28 years that was caused by an avoidable work stoppage or lockout.  I might, however, give baseball a pass for shortened seasons caused by the unavoidable impacts of a worldwide pandemic. 

I’m a bit more hopeful about the NY Mets’ likelihood of success this year than I was for the NY Giants last fall.   But, as a lifelong Mets’ fan, I should know by now that the optimism in March is usually dashed by late May, and I start looking forward to the Giants’ season.   
Thank you for staying safe and calm.
 
Peter G. Barber
Town Supervisor