Nearly half in county have had first dose
About 33 percent have had their second by now
Nearly half of Albany County residents have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, County Executive Dan Mccoy said Friday.
Mccoy said 47 percent of Albany County residents have received at least one dose of a vaccine so far, and an estimated 33 percent are fully vaccinated — placing the county ahead of the statewide vaccination rates of 39 percent and 26 percent, respectively.
“We’re almost there at the end of the tunnel, we need to get to over that 70 percent of Albany County residents being fully vaccinated,” Mccoy said.
While a growing number of residents are receiving the vaccine, however, COVID-19 remains a threat, officials warned. The county saw 68 new positive cases overnight, up from Thursday’s 63 new cases and Wednesday’s 41 new cases. Of the new positive cases, 45 had no clear source of infection, 21 had close contact with another positive case, one was a health care worker and one reported travel out of state.
The five-day average of new positive cases has slightly increased from 50 to 52.6, and the county saw three new hospitalizations overnight. However, the total number of hospitalizations dropped to 29 from 30, with six patients in intensive care.
County officials addressed the national pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which was announced by the Centers for Disease Control and the Food and Drug Administration earlier this week after six people experienced a rare and severe type of blood clot after receiving the vaccine. An estimated 6.8 million individuals have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Mccoy voiced concerns that the recent development would increase vaccine hesitancy.
“In the beginning, we had the demand, we just didn’t have the supply,” he said. “And now we’re starting to have the supply, it’s the demand. And the Johnson & Johnson didn’t help.”
Dr. Elizabeth Whalen, county health commissioner, said the blood clot reports are a concern but the incidence rate is still extremely low.
“I believe that the pause will give the opportunity to look at this in a more systematic fashion and give us better information on whether this vaccine is appropriate to be introduced, and if so, are there certain populations that should and shouldn’t get it,” she said.
Whalen also stressed that the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have continued to prove to be safe and effective, and encouraged parents to get their teenagers the Pfizer vaccine, which has been approved for ages 16 and older. No COVID-19 vaccine has been approved yet for those younger than 16.
Mccoy and Whalen also asked the state government to allow physicians easier access to administer the COVID-19 vaccine in order to increase vaccination opportunities and allow for a more efficient vaccination system, particularly as Pfizer begins to roll out booster shots in the coming months. Pfizer announced Thursday that a third dose of its vaccine would likely be needed within a year of the second dose to maintain immunity to COVID-19.
“We know that people will feel more comfortable, and not everybody is comfortable going to our pods,” Whalen said about people being able to get vaccinated in their regular doctor's office. “This is an important strategy.”