North Colonie school district employee tests positive
ALBANY, N.Y. » Albany County Executive Dan McCoy provided the latest on the COVID-19 pandemic during a Monday morning press conference.
McCoy also provided an update regarding a positive case of a North Colonie Central School District employee, that precipitated the closure of its extended year program for Monday.
Albany County Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Elizabeth Whalen commented on the case involving a school district employee.
“We did learn of one positive case in the North Colonie School District at a program
that’s housed at Shaker High School. I would like to say that Superintendent Joe Corr has been incredibly proactive. We worked a lot over the weekend about making sure there was appropriate messaging to the parents and that we identified all contacts of the individual,” Whalen stated on their proactive measures.
“It was out of an abundance of caution that the school was closed [ Monday] and we have worked to identify upwards of about 19 contacts and we have worked with the State DOH to facilitate testing for those individuals today, which will be expedited testing,” Whalen noted on their ongoing efforts and actions.
“I want to reassure the public that this has been a matter that has been comprehensively addressed by both the school district and the Albany County Department of Health,” Whalen added.
Additionally, concerning other cases in the county,
Whalen emphasized the importance of people to be cooperative and forthcoming to help aid in their contact tracing efforts.
“If you get a call from the health department, if you are identified as a contact to a case, this is a serious thing, and with it comes a legal quarantine,” Whalen explained.
“If you decide you’re going to hang up on my staff, if you decide that you are going to be difficult, the next step will be to have law enforcement on your door, so please take this seriously,” Whalen added on the importance of cooperation.
McCoy confirmed nine new positive cases in the county. One of the positives was connected to those who either attended the Fourth of July party on Hudson Avenue in Albany.
Additionally, encompassed in the new cases are three healthcare workers or those who live in congregate settings, two with close contacts to positive cases, two who had reported traveling out of state and one who did not have a clear source of transmission.
“The only way we’re going to keep the curve flat, stop the spread of the virus and prevent any more deaths is by being proactive, not reactive. That’s why I continue to ask the public to wear masks, socially distance, get tested, and cooperate with our County Department of Health if they reach out to you,” McCoy said.
“They’ve been doing a great job identifying positive cases and contact tracing to contain the outbreak. That includes an infected employee of the North Colonie Central School District that was discovered [over the weekend]. Out of an abundance of caution and need for deep cleaning, the district closed the extended year program for [Monday],” McCoy added.
On the whole, there have been 2,304 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Albany County.
Additionally, the number of people under mandatory quarantine has decreased to 609. The five-day average for new daily positive cases has dropped to 8.6 from 10.8 on Sunday. There are 33 active cases, up from 28.
Thus far, 7,472 people have completed quarantine. Of those who completed quarantine, 2,271 of them have tested positive and recovered, an increase of four.
One person remains hospitalized and the hospitalization rate stands at 0.04%.
Below is the remainder of this week’s schedule for Albany County’s walk-up COVID-19 mobile testing sites:
Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Center - 920 Lark Drive, Albany
• Wednesday – 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
• Friday – 8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
Rotating locations and dates for the week of Aug. 3
• Tuesday, Aug. 4, 9 a.m. – 11 a.m.
Watervliet Health Center, 1804 Second Ave., Watervliet