Ulster virus rate stays low

Ulster County reported a slight increase in active COVID-19 cases on Saturday, from 149 to 155, but the caseload remained sharply lower than a week earlier when it hit 194.

The county’s online dashboard Saturday showed six new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 1,819 recovered cases of the virus, holding steady from a day earlier.

The total number of confirmed cases in Ulster County since the start of the pandemic in midMarch was 2,066, of which 92 have resulted in fatalities, one of those patients died in the past week.

Coronavirus numbers in Ulster County rose and fell this week, but with none of the short-lived spikes experienced in late July and earlier this month.

The daily positivity rate, which reflects the number of positive cases as a percentage of the number of tests conducted — fluctuated from 1% reported Saturday to 0.6% on Friday, 0.8% on Thursday, 0.0% on Wednesday, 1.5% on Tuesday and 0.6% on Monday.

The results, which ideally should remain below 1%, according to state officials, were a welcome relief from spikes of 4.7% reported on July 28 and 3.5% on July 29. The county attributed those spikes mainly to positive test results among inmates in the county’s four local state prisons.

Ulster County’s peak number of active cases was 1,009, on April 26. Its highest rate of positive test results was 33%, on April 13.

Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan has attributed the decline in cases to Ulster County residents following Centers for Disease Control protocols that include wearing masks, social distancing, and increased handwashing and use of sanitizer.

The city of Kingston had 20 cases as of Saturday, the most in the county. Shandaken, Hurley, Olive, Plattekill and Wawarsing had one case each and there were no active cases in the towns of Denning, Kingston and Rosendale.

Every other town in the county had case totals in the single digits.

Across the Hudson River in Dutchess County, officials reported an increase of seven active cases on Saturday, bringing the Dutchess total to 239 from 232.

Dutchess County has had 4,598 active cases of COVID-19 since March, and 153 deaths. The last death from the virus in Dutchess was in mid-July. Recovered cases in Dutchess jumped this week from 183 reported on Tuesday to 197 reported Saturday.

Columbia County reported 11 active cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, up one from the day before. Columbia County has had 512 confirmed positive cases. There have been 37 deaths in Columbia as a result of the coronavirus.

For local coverage related to the coronavirus, go to bit. ly/DFCOVID19.