Full Notification

Our weather roller coaster is heading down slope this weekend with forecasted cold temperatures, heavy rain, and strong winds, after peaking last weekend with warmth and plentiful sunshine.  Due to this downward and predictable trend, and shortened daylight hours, Western Turnpike Golf Course will end its season tomorrow at sunset, with the caveat of a brief reopening if there is good weather on a future weekend. 
 
The wind, rain, and excessive mounds of leaves have not kept Highway crews from keeping pace with its posted schedule for vacuuming streets into early December.  The long range forecast (no snow or ice in the next 10 days) should help in keeping up with the final weeks of leaf vacuuming schedule. Please note that, if there is no need to retool the trucks for snow/ice removal, Highway crews will continue vacuuming streets after the last scheduled date, and a crew circulates year-round to pick up bags and tied brush.
  
COVID-19 Weekly Update
 
Albany County DOH’s COVID-19 Dashboard reported two COVID-19 related deaths over the past week that raised the County’s pandemic death total to 593.  The number of hospitalized persons decreased by 13 patients to 30 patients.  The County’s seven-day average of positive cases over the past week dropped from 7.3% to 6.9%.
 
After more than a month at a “high” rate of COVID-19 community spread, the CDC’s latest weekly data now has Albany County with a “medium” rate of COVID-19 spread.  Seven of the State’s 62 counties in the State still have “high” community rates, including populous Queens and Richmond (Staten Island) Counties.  At the medium rate of community spread, the CDC recommends the wearing of facemasks on public transportation.   
 
The CDC reports that the percentage of the nation’s counties with a high community level increased from 2.27% to 2.42% and that the percentage at the medium level decreased from 21.93% to 19.07%.  The percentage of counties at the low community level increased from 75.8% to 78.5%.
 
State DOH’s method for assessing COVID-19 spread in a community uses a seven-day average of positive cases per 100,000 residents.  Albany County’s number decreased over the past week from 15.8 to 14.7 cases.  The State’s seven-day average increased from 19.9 to 21.1 positive cases.  The hospitalization rate slightly increased in the State from 14.56 to 14.92 patients per 100,000.  State DOH reported that COVID-19 remains a deadly threat with 231 COVID-19 related deaths in the State last week, and that 75,275 residents have died since the start of the pandemic.
 
The CDC’s data shows that two Omicron variants, BQ.1 and BQ.1.1, continue to spread quickly and now account for 35.3% of the nation’s positive cases and 48.4% of the region that includes New York.  The CDC also reported that only 8.4% of the nation’s eligible population (5 years and older) or 26,290,124 persons have received the updated (bivalent) COVID-19 booster.  About 23% of the nation’s population 65 years and older have received the updated booster.  You can check on the availability of updated boosters by entering your zip code at vaccines.gov, texting your zip code to 438829, or calling 1-800-232-0233.
 
State DOH also urged residents to get their annual flu vaccine, “as influenza is already considered widespread across the State.”  While the flu season usually runs from October through May, with peaks between December and February, State DOH reported that this year flu cases were reported in higher than usual numbers in September with laboratory-confirmed flu case increasing each week. You can find a flu shot provider here. 

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Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter. 
 
Peter G. Barber
Town Supervisor