Vaccines to the home
Albany County gets vaccine for homebound residents; distribution plan unclear
Albany County has received doses to be distributed to homebound residents.
County Executive Dan Mccoy said in a statement Sunday morning that the county has received coronavirus vaccine from the state that will be earmarked for homebound residents.
“I’m am happy that — thanks to my continued advocacy — that Larry Schwartz has confirmed Governor Cuomo is providing Sheriff Apple with vaccine doses to go to homebound individuals who so desperately needed these shots,” Mccoy in a statement. “I have been advocating for this vulnerable population for weeks and am glad we are now able to get them vaccinated.” Mccoy did not say how many residents will be targeted through that effort, or how or when it will take place.
He pointed residents to the county’s preregistration tool on its website that allows those who qualify for vaccine to sign up. Afterwards the county will contact people and schedule them for an appointment for a future vaccination date.
One must meet state criteria to qualify for vaccine, such as being over age 65, having an underlying health condition, or being a certain kind of essential worker.
Albany County is also holding a vaccina
tion clinic Monday evening at the Times Union Center for 1B essential workers and those with certain underlying health conditions. Those workers include teachers, and restaurant and food delivery workers. Information about signing up for that Monday clinic can be found on the county’s website. Death toll climbs
Meanwhile, a woman in her 60s died, bringing Albany County’s known coronavirus death toll to
352.
The five-day average is also up to 86 from 78.4.
Daily positive coronavirus cases, while markedly down from the highs in the 300s after the holidays, have been fluctuating up and down over the last few weeks.
Albany County saw 81 new positive cases confirmed from Saturday. On Sunday there were 39 people in the hospital, and three people in the ICU.
The Capital Region still has the lowest ICU bed capacity of any region in the state, at 20 percent availability Saturday.
But statewide coronavirus numbers continued to improve. The daily percent positive was 2.77 percent of total test results returned Saturday, which is the lowest since Nov. 21.
The state’s seven-day percent positive average Saturday was 3.14 percent. The Capital Region’s, meanwhile, was much lower at 1.97 percent.