NEW TESTING SITE
Watervliet Dome to be used for testing starting next Wednesday
Albany County saw a new COVID-19 related death and a new confirmed single- day high-mark for hospitalizations and cases on Friday. Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy announced those developments during his press briefing.
“My condolences and prayers go out to the family and to all of the families and to the other 166 families. Again, you’re in our thoughts, it’s a difficult time that you’re going through and it’s a difficult time to lose anybody but especially to this awful COVID-19,” McCoy said.
The latest death was a woman in her 70s, whowas a nursing home resident. McCoy added the county is now averaging more than two deaths per day during the month of December.
According to McCoy, the county has 992 active cases, 2,218 people under mandatory quarantine.
The county executive confirmed 185 new positive cases. Encompassed within the new cases are 19 with close contact to other positive cases, 29 healthcare workers or residents of congregate settings, 137 who either refused to or could not provide a clear source of infection. The county also saw 91 recoveries.
On the hospitalization front, the county has 96 residents admitted to the hospital. There were 13 new hospitalizations overnight. Among the hospitalizations, there are 16 in the ICU. The hospitalization rate is 1.51%. The county is averaging 12 admissions per day in December.
McCoy explained that they’re seeing a surge in hospitalizations at St. Peter’s hospital as well. Plus, the County Executive noted the age-span of those being hospitalized is wide-ranging from the young to old.
“We continue to see this virus putting people in the hospital with a wide range of ages. I want to point out two people are younger than 25, so it is starting to affect that age group differently. That’ one up from
"My condolences and prayers go out to the family and to all of the families and to the other 166 families. Again, you’re in our thoughts, it’s a difficult time that you’re going through and it’s a difficult time to lose anybody but especially to this awful COVID-19."
— Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy
yesterday. 14 of those hospitalized are between the ages 25 and 49 years old and 38 are between 50 and 74 years old,” McCoy said.
“We continue to move in the wrong direction when you look at the data. This is now the seventh consecutive day we’ve broke a new record for the number of people in the hospital because of the virus, and we’ve tied our record of 16 people in the ICU, which happened on April 13. We’re now averaging 12 new hospitalizations per day this month. As we see the average number of new positive cases tick up, we are likely to see even more hospitalizations that are putting added strain on our healthcare system,” McCoy added.
Albany County Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Elizabeth Whalen also spoke to the troubling numbers.
“Again, today we find ourselves in the unfortunate position of breaking another record,” Whalen stated on the newest confirmed caseload.
“We are not alone in this.
This is happening across the country. There is a surge in illness, in hospitalization, and in death. This is [a] reason more than ever for people to comply with the advice that we’ve been giving for the past eight months,” Whalen reiterated on the need to adhere to public health safety measures.
Perhaps even more alarming, the fact that the numbers have yet to reflect the recent Thanksgiving gatherings and travel, according to Whalen.
“We know that we’re a week and a day out from Thanksgiving and we’re starting to see cases pick up. I do not think yet that we have seen the full extent of the effect of Thanksgiving. I am concerned, as are national officials of a so- called surge upon the surge,” Whalen explained.
“It is likely that our numbers will continue to go up. It is likely that they will be higher due to the Thanksgiving travel and gatherings and it is likely that it will not be improbable that our numbers will be in the 200s,” Whalen noted on the estimated rise in cases.
Whalen stressed the need for people to change behaviors, wear masks, and avoid indoor gatherings.
“What we are doing today will influence the numbers in the next two weeks,” Whalen added.
In addition to the Times Union Center site Friday, the county executive also announced the expansion of a new test site in Watervliet.
“To help get this situation under control, we’re looking at expanding our testing capabilities here in Albany County, and I’m excited to announce that we’ll have a testing site at the Watervliet Dome starting next Wednesday,” McCoy said.
“This will ensure people can get tested indoors, while having enough room to socially distance themselves,” McCoy added.