NO NEW CASES
Albany County reports zero positives for first time since March 12
ALBANY, N.Y. » Accompanied at Tuesday morning’s press conference by Albany County Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Elizabeth Whalen, Albany County Executive Dan McCoy announced there have been zero confirmed new positive COVID-19 cases reported in the county for the first time since March 12.
“One of the hardest things I’ve had to do during this crisis is to announce that we’ve lost another county resident to the virus, knowing that loved ones cannot properly say goodbye,” McCoy stated.
“[ Tuesday], I’m proud to re
port that not only have we not had a COVID-related death in over a week, for the first time since the outbreak began here on March 12, we didn’t have a single new positive case. This, along with a percent positive down to 4.8%, leaves me hopeful as we get closer to Phase 4 on July 1 and getting even more people back to work,” McCoy noted on the progress being made.
Whalen credited the mitigation of the spread of the virus to people being responsible and wearing masks.
“What are we doing differently here that is preventing us from having spread, despite the fact that we are having mass gatherings? And I believe it’s masks,” Whalen remarked on the contrast with other parts of the country seeing spikes in cases.
“I believe that masks make a difference. If you look at the pictures of the protests that have gone on in Albany County, over the past couple of weeks, you’ll notice that most people have been compliant with wearing masks and people have tried to respect each other’s social distance,” Whalen continued.
Whalen reiterated the need to continue the practice with virus still lingering
“This does make a difference. We want to continue in the same direction, so we encourage people to continue this important behavior,” Whalen explained.
“It’s very important to know that despite these numbers COVID has not gone away and there is not a significant proportion of the population of Albany County that is immune, that has antibodies. We know that, very low percentage of our population has antibodies,” Whalen continued.
“Even those that have antibodies, we’re not sure what protective significance that represents,” Dr. Whalen added.
On the overall numbers, as of Tuesday, there have been 1,864 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Albany County. Additionally, there are 147 people under mandatory quarantine and no one under precautionary quarantine. Presently there are 25 active cases of COVID-19. Thus far, 5,630 people have completed quarantine, with 1,839 of them having tested positive and recovered.
Currently, there are eight people hospitalized, with one person in ICU. The hospitalization rate stands at 0.42%. The hospitalization rate is now 0.42%, up slightly from 0.37% Monday.
Both McCoy and Whalen provided a rundown on the county’s data dashboard as well.
As of June 21, were 42,772 people tested in Albany County, with 2,060 of them having tested positive for COVID-19. That’s an additional 5,900 people tested in a little more than a week. The percent positive has decreased down to 4.8% from 5.5% on June 13.
Those in the 20 to 29 age bracket continue to lead all others in terms of total positive cases of COVID-19 with 326. They are followed by 50 to 59-year- old group who have a total of 311 positive cases.
McCoy also took time to discuss some of the recently released guidelines for the reopening in Phase 4, which includes higher education, entertainment, recreation, and arts.
On Monday, the University at Albany officials stated that pending a review by Gov. Andrew Cuomo and SUNY, that they plan on starting the fall semester on campus on the regularly scheduled date of Aug. 24.
In Phase 4, along with UAlbany, colleges and technical schools will have to develop and submit their reopening plans to be reviewed. For SUNY and CUNY schools, they will submit theirs to the Chancellor’s Office, but private colleges and universities will have to submit their plan to the New York State Department of Health.
Plans will encompass reopening of campuses, monitoring health conditions, containing potential transmission of the virus, and a shutdown strategy in case of a serious outbreak. Institutions of higher education will also have to address class sizes, utilizing a combination of in-person classes and virtual lessons.