Albany County links more COVID-19 cases to July 4 party.
4th of July celebration now blamed for 11 COVID-19 infections
Albany County officials said five more people were infected with coronavirus as a result of attending a July 4 street party on Hudson Avenue.
The new cases revealed Thursday increased to 11 the number of people who contracted the virus after attending the block party, which drew about 200 college-aged people.
On Wednesday, the county expressed concern after it received 44 new positive cases, which was the largest daily increase in confirmed infections since May 20.
On Wednesday, the Capital Region had the highest percent of tests that came back positive — 2.1 percent — of all regions in New York. New York City, in comparison, had 1.3 percent of people test positive.
But the overall new case count was much lower Thursday, with 13 new cases in Albany County — five of which where from the block party.
In an example of how coronavirus statistics can swing wildly, the region went back to having one of the lowest percent positive rates Thursday at 0.8 percent. The state rate was slightly more, at 1.06 percent of all tests done coming back positive.
Still, elected officials across the Capital Region are viewing any uptick in cases with caution. On Thursday, Warren County found a sixth case of someone who appeared to contract coronavirus from a July 4th weekend camping get-together that is believed to have happened in Saratoga County.
Meanwhile, Albany County leaders pleaded with partygoers from the Hudson Avenue celebration to get tested.
“We would like to encourage anyone who was at that party to be tested and contact Albany County Department of Health at 518-447-4640,” said Albany County Health Commissioner Dr. Elizabeth Whalen. “It’s very important for control of COVID for us to be able to identify and appropriately isolate individuals who test positive as quickly as possible — especially because we know people in that age group are asymptomatic. Knowing you’re positive empowers you to make positive decisions.”
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan weighed in on Twitter after the Albany County news conference, saying: “Our entire city, county, and region has worked very hard over the last several months to limit the impacts of COVID, however we cannot continue on the trajectory we are on or we will quickly undo that work.”
“Mask up or close down (again) — it’s as simple as that,” Sheehan wrote.
Coronavirus has been most prevalent in Albany County among people aged 20-29, a group that often shows no signs of the virus and can easily spread it to others, including sick and elderly people who are particularly vulnerable.
Whalen said officials worry that the party cases will eventually spread to at-risk people, which could lead to increased hospitalizations. During Schenectady County’s weekly Facebook Live news conference, County Manager Rory Fluman reminded residents that “COVID is a disease of opportunity” as 95 percent of the 40 people who have died there have been over the age of 70.
“You don’t want someone who is quite ill to say you were the contact,” Whalen said. “Please think of others.”
Albany County also announced four health care workers tested positive for the virus, including two staffers from the county’s nursing home, Shaker Place in Colonie.
Overall, cases in nursing homes are coming back in the Capital Region after a lull of several weeks. Riverside Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in Castleton-on-hudson has had 34 residents test positive for the virus recently, along with 11 staff members.
Four other health care workers in Rensselaer County at Living Resources and Evergreen Commons also tested positive Tuesday.