Ulster marks vaccination milestone
More than 40% have received at least first shot; Dutchess nears 37%, reports 2 additional deaths
KINGSTON, N.Y. » More than 40% of Ulster County’s residents have received at least their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, County Executive Pat Ryan said Thursday.
During a Facebook Live briefing, Ryan said Ulster reached the milestone earlier in the day and that the total number of first-shot recipients was 72,496, or 40.6% of the county population.
Ryan said 43,963 Ulster County residents have been fully vaccinated. That’s 24.6% of the population.
“Every single person that’s vaccinated means all of us are safer,” he said, adding the Ulster has the highest percentage of residents who have received shots among all counties between New York City and Albany.
In Dutchess County, 108,441 residents, or 36.9% of the popu
lation, have received at least the first dose of the vaccine, according to the state’s vaccine tracker, and 63,232 residents (21.5%) have completed the vaccine series.
Getting a shot
Appointments to be vaccinated at state-run sites, including the one at the Ulster County Fairgrounds New Paltz, can be made online at covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov.
Appointments to be vaccinated at the Ulster County-run site at Hudson Valley Mall in the town of Ulster can be made at vaccinateulster.com, and Dutchess County’s vaccination sign-up site is bit.ly/ dut-vax.
By the numbers
Ulster County on Thursday reported 1,726 active cases of COVID-19, down just one from the number reported Wednesday. The county also reported 84 new COVID diagnoses out of the most recent 2,131 test results received (a positivity rate of 3.9%) and 85 newly confirmed recoveries.
Ryan said 16 county residents were hospitalized with COVID as of Thursday, an increase of five from 48 hours earlier.
Ulster County has had 13,680 confirmed cases of COVID since the local outbreak began in March 2020, as well as 11,708 recoveries and 246 deaths. No additional deaths were reported Thursday.
Ryan said Ulster County’s active case count “is looking at least good in that it’s about flat and staying on the plateau that we’re on.” But he cautioned about “the emergence of different COVID variants” and said “that trend continues and is accelerating.”
Dutchess County on Thursday reported 1,297 active COVID cases, down from the 1,320 reported a day earlier, but it also reported two additional COVID-related deaths, bringing its total since last spring to 428.
COVID-related hospitalizations in Dutchess rose to a reported 70 on Thursday from the 67 reported a day earlier.
Dutchess County has had 26,899 confirmed cases of COVID since March 2020 and on Thursday reported a seven-day positive test rate of 4.47%.
SUNY New Paltz on Thursday reported 22 active cases of COVID among students and two among employees. The college said 12 students were in on-campus quarantine and six were in on-campus isolation.
SUNY New Paltz has had 226 positive COVID-19 cases among students since Jan. 1, and 32 cases among employees during the same period.
In the schools
Newly reported cases of COVID-19 in area school districts are as follows, according to New York state.
• Kingston: Two on-site students and one on-site teacher at the high school.
• Ellenville: Three on-site students at the elementary school; two off-site high school students; and one off-site student and off-site staff member of the middle school.
• New Paltz: One on-site student and one on-site teacher at the high school.
• Onteora: One off-site middle school student.
• Rondout Valley: One off-site high school student.
For local coverage related to the coronavirus, go to bit.ly/DFCOVID19.