Case total in Ulster continues to climb
Ulster County on Wednesday reported yet another jump in its number of active COVID-19 cases, continuing a trend that’s lasted for about a week, and also a high rate of positive tests for the illness.
On its online COVID dashboard Wednesday, the county reported 1,818 active cases of the coronavirus, up from the 1,757 it reported Tuesday. The total is still well below the Jan. 30 peak of 2,622 but also sharply higher than the recent low of 1,488, reached on March 1.
The county’s latest “positivity rate,” meanwhile, is 8.2% — the result of 107 residents being diagnosed with COVID out of the most recent 1,302 people tested. The last time the rate was at or above 8% was Jan. 25.
By contrast, the rate generally was below 1% from late May to early November of last year.
On Tuesday, Ulster
County Executive Pat Ryan called the stubbornly high positivity rate of recent weeks “a real problem.”
Ulster County has had 12,505 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 10,447 recoveries since the local outbreak began last March, as well as 240 COVID-related deaths. No new deaths were reported Wednesday.
Dutchess County on Wednesday reported 1,331 active cases of COVID, down one the previous day, but it also reported an additional death, bringing its total since last March 20 421.
Dutchess has had 24,744 confirmed cases of COVID-19 since the local outbreak began.
The county’s latest seven-day average of positive test results is 5.2%, and it reported Wednesday that 52 county residents were hospitalized with COVID, five more than it reported Tuesday.
PPE donation
The Police Benevolent Association of New York State on Wednesday brought donated personal protective equipment — including face masks, shields and hand sanitizer — to Ulster County’s new vaccination center in the former Best Buy store at Hudson Valley Mall in the town of Ulster.
The items were donated to the PBA by Otis Technology for distribution across New York.
Among those lending a hand with the distribution at the vaccination site were SUNY Chancellor Jim Malatras, state Sen. Michelle Hinchey and Ryan.
SUNY New Paltz
The college reported Wednesday that it now has 58 active cases of COVID-19, comprising 55 students and three employees. The college said 19 students were in isolation on campus and 26 others were in quarantine on campus.
SUNY New Paltz said 175 students and 27 employees in the on-campus population have tested positive for COVID-19 since Jan. 1.
In the schools
Newly reported cases of COVID-19 in area school districts are as follows, according to New York state.
• Kingston: One onsite student at George Washington Elementary School; one on-site staff member at Harry L. Edson Elementary School; and one on-site student, one on-site teacher and one on-site staff member at J. Watson Bailey Middle School.
• Ellenville: One offsite middle school student.
• Highland: One on-site middle school teacher.
• Marlboro: One onsite high school student, one off-site elementary school student, and one on-site middle schooler.
• New Paltz: One onsite teacher at Duzine Elementary School.
• Onteora: One on-site high schooler and one on-site elementary school student.
• Red Hook: One onsite student at Linden Avenue Middle School and one on-site student at Mill Road Intermediate School.
• Rondout Valley: One on-site junior high school student.
• Wallkill: One onsite student at John G. Borden Middle School, one on-site student at Leptondale Elementary School, three on-site students at Ostrander Elementary School, and one on-site high schooler.