CORONAVIRUS: MID-HUDSON ‘THIS TIME OF CRISIS’
Ellenville test site opens; deaths in region increase; state Sen. Seward tests positive
Ulster County on Monday opened its second drive-through mobile testing site for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, a move that County Executive Pat Ryan said would “save lives.”
Also Monday, state Sen. James Seward, who’s being treated for cancer, said he and his wife have tested positive for the virus. And the region’s death toll from COVID-19 rose: Orange County reported four more fatalities, bringing its total to nine; Dutchess County reported one, for a total of three; and Columbia County reported its first.
The second Ulster County testing site, outside Ellenville Regional Hospital, is open from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. weekdays, by appointment, according to Ryan’s office. The county’s first site, at TechCity in the town of Ulster, opened a week ago and has tested more than 600 people to date, the executive’s office said.
“This additional mobile testing site will save lives,” Ryan said in a prepared statement.
“We are continuing to provide a significant surge in testing capacity, which will enable us to better treat those affected and slow the spread of COVID-19.”
Ulster County reported on its website Monday that 207 county
residents have tested positive for the coronavirus. Plattekill had the most cases in the county, with 35. A 76-year-old Plattekill man died from the virus on Sunday.
Greene County said Monday that it had 20 confirmed cases but that four of those who tested positive have recovered. Sullivan County said it had 106 cases.
Elsewhere in the region, according to data posted by New York state at 4 p.m. Monday, there were 1,435 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Orange County, 392 in Dutchess County, 26 in Columbia County and 11 in Delaware County.
Statewide, there were more than 66,000 confirmed cases of the virus and more than 1,200 deaths as of Monday afternoon. Most of the New York cases and deaths have been in New York City.
To be tested for the virus at the two drive-through sites in Ulster County, individuals first must call their primary-care physician and have a phone consultation. If the physician determines a test is warranted, one will be ordered. An appointment then can then be scheduled at one of the two locations.
Anyone who thinks a test might be warranted but lacks a primary-care physician should call the Ulster County COVID-19 hotline at (845) 443-8888.
Tests at the Ellenville site, once authorized by a doctor, can be scheduled by calling (845) 647-6400, ext. 269.
Ryan thanked Ellenville Regional Hospital for “stepping up during this critical moment for our community.” The hospital’s president, Steve Kelley, said in a prepared statement: “We greatly value our ongoing partnership with Ulster County, but we really appreciate it the most during this time of crisis.”
People who arrive for tests at either Ulster County site will be met by a trained health care provider who will collect a sample for lab analysis. Those who are tested should drive home immediately afterward, limit interactions with other people and plan to self-quarantine for up to 14 days.
Test results can take up to six days, the county said.
Sen. Seward’s office said the Milford Republican and his wife, Cindy, both tested positive for the coronavirus and had “mild cases.”
Seward, 68, was being treated at Albany Medical Center but was to be “released from the hospital shortly and ... remain under quarantine at home,” his office said in an email to the news media. Cindy Seward already is under home quarantine, the senator’s office said.
Seward announced in November 2019 that the bladder cancer he first fought in 2016 had returned. In January 2020, he announced he will not seek an 18th twoyear term in November and will retire from the Senate at the end of this year.
State Assemblyman Brian Miller, R-New Hartford, also has tested positive for the coronavirus and was hospitalized, his office said Friday.
Both Seward and Miller represent state legislative districts that include parts of Ulster County.
In Rhinebeck, meanwhile, village Mayor Gary Bassett announced Monday that his wife, Brenda, tested positive for the virus and was in isolation and receiving oxygen at Northern Dutchess Hospital.
“Despite the many precautions we took, she was somehow exposed,” Bassett said in a statement. “My message to everyone is that this brings home how very contagious this virus is, so please continue to very carefully follow all the guidelines from health officials to protect yourselves and your loved ones.”
The mayor said he will be quarantined at home “for at least two weeks.”
Bassett also said the Rhinebeck Responds to COVID-19 Committee, made up
of local leaders, is meeting two times a week to stay current on the needs of the community’s food pantries and elderly citizens. He said the pantries are currently wellstocked and open for business.
The food pantry at Church of Messiah in Rhinebeck is operating from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays in the parking lot, while the Rhinebeck Reformed Church’s pantry is offering two prepackaged food bags per family from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesdays. Also, “Grab-N-Go” school breakfast and lunch is being offered to Rhinebeck students from 8 to 10:30 a.m. Thursdays.
For local stories about the coronavirus, go to bit. ly/DFCOVID19. For live local updates from around the region, go to bit.ly/DFcovid19live.