County officials release new numbers
CAPITALREGION, N.Y. » Officials in Albany, Rensselaer, and Saratoga counties provided updated coronavirus numbers on Thursday.
Albany County Executive Dan McCoy announced that as of Thursday morning, there have been 1,870 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Albany County, an increase of five since Wednesday.
Additionally, there are now 150 people under mandatory quarantine, and still no one currently under precautionary quarantine. The five-day average for new daily positive cases is now 3.4.
There are currently 25 active cases of COVID-19. Thus far, 5,650 people have completed quarantine, with 1,845 of them having tested positive and recovered.
There are currently five people hospitalized, down from six on Wednesday. The hospitalization rate is now 0.26%, which is down from 0.32% Wednesday. There is one person in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).
To date, the partnership with Whitney Young, Jr. Health Center has carried out 2,162 tests throughout the Capital Region.
In addition, McCoy revealed Wednesday that for the first time, food and refreshment vendors will be able to sell their products along the ninemile stretch of the Albany County HelderbergHudson Rail Trail through food trucks, carts or temporary stands. The Request for Proposals was issued today and responses are due back on July 10.
“The COVID-19 crisis and economic shutdown have had devastating impacts on our small businesses and hardworking families who continue to struggle to make ends meet. We need to utilize every asset possible that Albany County has to support them in their time of need. This particular initiative has the added bonus of actually enhancing the experience for the thousands of Rail Trail users,” McCoy stated.
“This will give businesses the opportunity to not only increase their sales, but also potentially
expand their client base,” McCoy added.
A total of six vendors will be selected by lottery for two specifically designated locations at each of the three trailheads in Albany, Slingerlands and Voorheesville. Six qualified vendors who meet health, insurance and other criteria will be issued permits for one month at a time to ensure as many individual businesses have the opportunity. At the end of each month, six new permits will be issued at random until Oct. 12.
Permits will cost $200 per month for food trucks and $125 per month for carts, tents, and temporary stands. Hours of operation for each business will be limited to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Saturday.
Any vendors with questions, concerns or comments or those that are interested in submitting a proposal can contact the Albany County Department of General Services Purchasing Division at (518) 4477140. They can also visit the Empire State Bid system website at this link starting at the close of business today. Proposals can be mailed to the Purchasing Division at 112 State St, Room 1000, Albany, NY 12207.
Meanwhile, nine new cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed to the Rensselaer County Health
Department, it was announced on Thursday.
The new cases bring the total number of confirmed cases in the county to 591. There are now 38 active cases in the county.
County officials said the nine cases follow a pattern this week, with several cases on Thursday attributed to travel in other regions of the country. Cases this week have also involved several instances of family members passing on COVID-19 to another family member.
“There has been an uptick in cases in recent days that are related to travel in other areas of the country and with cases involving family contacts. That is obviously a concern as we have made progress in dealing with COVID-19 in our county,” Rensselaer County Public Health Director Mary Fran Wachunas said on Thursday.
“We again urge residents to be careful when traveling and to continue to exercise caution and common-sense at all times. We are seeing stable numbers for hospitalizations and releases, and want that to continue as we reopen,” Wachunas added. The new cases include: • A new case involving a one-year- old Rensselaer girl.
• A new case involving a 44- year- old Schodack woman.
• A new case involving a 30-year-old Troy man.
• A new case involving a 68-year-old Sand Lake man.
• A new case involving a 51-year- old Troy man.
• A new case involving a 55-year-old Schodack man.
• A new case involving a 72-year- old Schaghticoke woman.
• A new case involving a 68-year- old Hoosick man.
• A new case involving a 54-year-old Troy woman.
There are now four residents in the hospital, with two in the ICU. There are 143 residents in quarantine.
There have been 18,193 tests administered to residents, including 342 recorded on Wednesday.
There have been 30 deaths in the county from COVID-19 in the county, with the most recent announced yesterday.
Officials in Saratoga County reported a total of 539 COVID-19 cases on Thursday with 24 active cases.
There have been 17 deaths in Saratoga County and one person is currently hospitalized.
To date, 22,872 Saratoga County residents have been tested for COVID-19.