Full Notification

Albany County’s COVID-19 Dashboard reported today that there were 191 new positive cases overnight in the County, which raised the County’s COVID-19 cumulative pandemic total to 71,995 positive cases.  The County’s seven-day average of new daily positive cases increased by 2/5^th of case to 190.0 cases.  The number of County residents in the hospital overnight due to COVID-19 symptoms increased by two patient to now 45 patients, with four patients in the ICU.  County DOH reported the death of a County resident overnight which raised the County’s pandemic death toll to 563.   The County Executive will provide more details about this death in his twice-weekly COVID-19 update tomorrow.    
 
State DOH reported that the County’s rate for one vaccine dose as of yesterday was 81.5% of the County’s total population and 91.9% of the adult population, and the County’s rate for full-vaccination was 74.5% of the total population, and for boosters was 63.9% of the eligible population.  The State’s rate for one dose was 90.5% for the total population and 95.0% of adults, and the State’s rate for full-vaccination was 77.3% for the total population, and for boosters was 55.5% of the eligible population.
 
The State’s COVID-19 website reported that yesterday’s results for 132,106 tests Statewide were 9,172 or 6.6% positive, with the seven-day average decreasing to 7.7%.  The Capital Region had 6,230 tests of which 606 or 10.2% were positive, with the seven-day average decreasing to 10.6%.  The County had 1,330 tests of which 163 or 12.4% were positive, with the seven-day average decreasing to 12.0%.
 
In a press release today, Governor Kathy Hochul reported the State’s positive rate for tests yesterday (6.59%), and the current numbers for COVID-19 hospitalizations (2,518, -135), new hospital admissions (436), ICU patients (243, +9), intubations (91, -1), and 18 deaths. 
 
With 446 COVID-19 deaths in the nation reported yesterday, the CDC confirmed that the country’s pandemic death toll now exceeds one-million with a total today of 1,000,254 deaths.  The seven-day moving average is now at 288 deaths per day. 
 
If you are looking for something interesting to read, a professor at the State Polytechnic Institute has authored an article about the causes and consequence of yawning and why some humans spontaneously yawn when they see someone else yawning.  So-called contagious yawning may have evolved to synchronize group behavior or increase vigilance within a group.  It can be triggered by seeing or hearing a person yawn or just by thinking or reading about the act of yawning.  It happened to me when typing the prior sentence.  The article also explains that spontaneous yawning is not just by humans, and extends to other highly social species including chimpanzees, lions (but not cats, sorry), and domesticated dogs who also often yawn in response to a human yawning.     
 
Please note that, in addition to the closing of Town Hall on Memorial Day, the Transfer Station is also closed on Saturday, May 28. 
 
Thank you for staying safe and calm.    
 
Peter G. Barber
Town Supervisor