Albany County cases spiking
Hits highest daily new COVID infections since beginning of pandemic
Albany County recorded 147 new cases of coronavirus overnight — the highest one-day total since the start of the pandemic eight months ago.
The surge in newly reported infections has unsettled some local officials who have been battling the coronavirus since the beginning and are seeing a resurgence as front-line workers are wearing down.
“The direction that we’re headed is scaring the hell out of me,” County Executive Dan Mccoy said in a briefing Saturday morning. “I’m not trying to cause panic. I’m not trying to cause people fear. I’m just asking you to wake up.”
The caseload breaks the previous record of most new cases in a 24-hour period — which was 99 on Wednesday — and follows the county’s plea on Friday to health care professionals and others to join the county’s Medical Reserve Corps as the health department is stretched from dealing with the pandemic.
The five-day rolling average of new cases also hit an all-time high of 92.4 — up from 70.8 on Friday. The number of people asked to quarantine is 1,733, another record.
Of the 147 new cases, 80 had close contact with an individual who tested positive, nine were health care workers and four traveled out of state. Mccoy said the other 54 didn’t have a clear source of transmission, which he found concerning and disappointing.
“They all said, ‘I was home doing nothing,’” Mccoy said, adding that being untruthful doesn’t help stop the spread. “Fifty-four cases is just too high to say they don’t know where they got it.”
The University at Albany, which has been testing students before they depart for Thanksgiving break, accounted for 47 of the new cases, Mccoy said.
There were also five new hospitalizations reported overnight and 38 individuals are now hospitalized because of COVID-19, with nine in the intensive care unit, McCoy said. That hospitalization number is the highest since April.
The county is continuing its trend of high double-digit daily increases of coronavirus cases. Between Thursday and Friday, 71 new cases were tallied, and on Wednesday, the county saw 99 cases.
The greater Capital Region, comprised of eight counties, this week saw record daily cases — 183 confirmed cases on Monday and 213 on Thursday. On Friday, the Capital Region reported 180 new coronavirus cases. The seven-day rolling average of new cases also hit a new high of 145 on Friday.
Mccoy again asked everyone to stay home and not go out unnecessarily.
“The direction we’re headed in is worse than eight months ago,” Mccoy said. “We have to be concerned.”
Columbia County recorded four new cases on Saturday and had 27 people hospitalized. Rensselaer County had 24 new cases overnight, and 16 people are hospitalized with two in an intensive care unit.
The surge in Capital Region cases is occurring as Gov. Andrew M.
Cuomo on Saturday reiterated that New York is ready to distribute a vaccine. President Donald J. Trump announced a day earlier that the first round of vaccinations may begin in December.
Despite the increasing number of cases, the governor remained on script touting what he said is the state’s low rate of infection in comparison to other states.
“New York’s trend line is the third lowest in the nation,” Cuomo said. “If you look at trend lines, every other state should be more aggressive and faster than we are because their numbers are much worse. ... As we go forward I think the numbers are going to get worse. I think the holiday season is going to be a natural accelerant.”
Cuomo said he had no reports of bars and restaurants not complying with a new order — which went into effect Friday — to close by 10 p.m. daily.
“The direction that we’re headed is scaring the hell out of me. I’m not trying to cause panic. I’m not trying to cause people fear. I’m just asking you to wake up.”
Albany County
Executive Dan Mccoy