Rising cases concern county

Mccoy warns of renewed shutdowns if Albany COVID-19 numbers continue upward trend

Albany County’s coronavirus numbers continue to rise, with 144 cases since Oct. 2, leading county officials to warn of potential shutdowns and a return to case counts the county hasn’t seen since the height of the pandemic in April.

The county recorded 26 new positive cases overnight, County Executive Dan Mccoy said on Friday. The county has 3,151 total cases since the pandemic began. Of those, 3,023 have recovered. The county also recorded another hospitalization, with eight patients hospitalized and two of those in intensive care.

As the numbers jump, which was expected as schools re-opened, the county is hoping to avoid the type of increases that are leading to renewed shutdowns in New York City and downstate counties.

“We’re a long way from a vaccine to take care of this,” Mccoy said. “This is where we’re going to be. But I don’t want to get in to Zip codes like Orange County, Rockland County and New York City. If the hospitalizations continue to go up, they ’re going to start shutting things down again.”

One big push in the recent increase has been University at Albany students, with 197 cases traced back to the college since students returned, Mccoy said.

Health Commissioner Elizabeth Whalen emphasized that county residents still need to take the same daily precautions that they have since March. The county was concerned about a second surge of cases around this time since the pandemic began, a pattern that would mimic previous pandemics.

“I think we all need to realize that our individual behavior will play in to what happens in the coming days and weeks,” she said. “We’re not currently hit as hard as other parts of the country where hospital surge capacity is challenged but that’s where we don’t want to be.”

Exposure alert

The Albany County health department issued a notice Friday afternoon about a

cluster of cases at the Depaula Chevrolet at 785 Central Ave.

The department has spoken to management and advised a two-week closure for the location. It did not specify how many cases were confirmed, or whether they were employee or customer cases.

Members of the public who have been to the dealership since Sept. 20 and have concerns about potential exposure are advised to contact the department at 518-447-4659.

School impacts

The North Warren school district in Chestertown confirmed its second case of COVID -19 this week.

Superintendent Michele French said the district learned of the case late Thursday afternoon. The person was in school Thursday, but fell ill so was tested, she said.

It’s unclear where in the district the infected person had been, but French said students in grades 7 through 12 who were near the person would be contacted by the Warren County Health Department by the end of the day Friday.

Grade 7-12 students switched to remote learning Friday in response. Students in prekindergarten through sixth grade remained in school.

The district’s first known case was announced Oct. 1. The person had last been in school the day prior, and it was again suggested that students in grades 7-12 may have been in close proximity with the person.

Since the beginning of the school year, the district has been following safety protocols including daily health screenings, physical distancing, mask wearing, and handwashing, French said. It has also been cleaning and disinfecting its school building daily.

Anyone with questions about the situation is asked to contact French at the district office at 518-494-3015 ext. 760.

Mayor tests negative

Mayor Kathy Sheehan tested negative for the coronavirus on Thursday, after attending an event in Syracuse on Wednesday with a person who later tested positive for the virus.

Sheehan said she would still complete a 14-day quarantine and take another test before returning to City Hall.

Sheehan and several other Upstate mayors were part of a news conference to push for federal aid for local governments impacted by the pandemic. Binghamton Mayor Richard David later suffered a medical episode and tested positive for the virus at the hospital. All the mayors wore masks except when they were speaking and stood several feet apart.

Schenectady Mayor Gary Mccarthy also attended the event and said he was quarantining as a precaution.