Ulster, Dutchess report one death each from COVID-19

KINGSTON, N.Y. » Ulster and Dutchess counties lost one resident each to COVID-19 this week.

In Ulster County, it was the first time since the third week of August that a resident died of COVID-19, bringing the total number of deaths from the virus to 95. In Dutchess, which has now lost 155 residents to the virus, the last death from COVID-19 was on Sept. 5.

On Tuesday, Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan had said there were four residents in county hospitals, including one in intensive care and on a ventilator.

Since then, one patient died and one was discharged from an Ulster County hospital, bringing the total number of county residents currently being treated for the coronavirus down to two, Ulster County Assistant Deputy County Dan Torres said Wednesday. He said both patients are at the HealthAlliance Hospital, Broadway Campus and neither is in an intensive care unit.

On Tuesday, Ryan said the county’s hospital capacity was “more than adequate if we need it.”

Dutchess County currently has five residents being treated for the virus in hospitals. The county does not release information about whether any of those

patients are in intensive care or on a ventilator.

On its online COVID-19 dashboard Wednesday, Ulster County also reported 132 active cases of COVID-19 as of Tuesday, up from 129 the previous day and 119 a week earlier.

Dutchess County reported online Wednesday that, as of Monday, it had 116 active cases of COVID-19. Dutchess has a total of 5,006 cases of the virus and reports 4,735 recoveries.

Four of the 510 COVID test results Ulster County received Tuesday were positive, a rate of 0.8%, according to the county’s online dashboard of COVID information.

At the local peak of the COVID outbreak, in April, Ulster had 1,009 active cases of the illness and a positive test rate of 33%.

The county’s dashboard on Wednesday showed a total of 2,245 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March. Of those, 2,018 have recovered.

SUNY New Paltz reported one additional active case of COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total of active cases to three. The school reported 12 cases among students who have been on campus since the fall semester began Aug. 24, and three cases among students living in the county who have reported a positive test to the college.

Seven students are in on-campus quarantine and two are in on-campus isolation, the college reported online.

No employees of SUNY New Paltz have tested positive.

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