Albany County reports 222 cases; two new deaths
Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy announced that the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Albany County has now climbed to 12,281 to date, an increase of 222 new positive cases since Saturday.
The five-day average for new daily positives decreased to 267.4 from 271. Officials note that the county’s overall case count will fluctuate as CommCare records are transferred in and out of the county.
Among the new positive cases announced, 35 had close contact with positive cases, 182 did not have a clear source of infection at this time and five are healthcare workers or residents of congregate settings. There are now 1,844 active cases in the county, up from 1,758 yesterday.
The number of people under mandatory quarantine increased to 3,018 from 2,968. So far, 39,024 people have completed quarantine. Of those who completed quarantine, 10,437 of them had tested positive and recovered. That is an increase of 117 recoveries since yesterday.
The county executive also reported that there were 16 new hospitalizations overnight, and there are 142 county residents currently hospitalized from the virus – a net increase of nine. There are now 24 patients in the ICU, up from 22 yesterday.
There were two additional COVID-related deaths to report from overnight – a man in his 50s and a woman in her 70s. The death toll for the county nowstandsat229since the outbreak began.
“We’ve nowset the bar for the number of county residents in the hospital, as well as for those in the ICU, which previously was 23. This comes just three days after we recorded our deadliest month since the outbreak began. This is clearly having an impact on our hospital capacity as the most recent data shows the Capital Region hospital and ICU bed availability ticked down to 24% and 18%, respectively. Compared to other regions in the state, these are nearly the lowest rates anywhere and below the state averages,” McCoy said in a news release on Sunday.
“We need everyone to wear masks, socially distance, stay home as much as possible and avoid private gatherings with anyone outside of their households to stop the spread of the virus,” he added.
For all the latest data on COVID testing and results, you can refer to the Albany County COVID-19 Data Dashboard, as well as the NewYorkState Department of Health COVID-19 Tracker.
For those experiencing stress, anxiety or depression during the ongoing pandemic, the Albany County Mental Health Support Line is available seven days a week, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at (518) 269-6634. Anyone experiencing a psychiatric emergency should still call the Albany County Mobile Crisis Teamat (518) 549–6500. The 24-hour sexual assault hotline number is (518) 447-7716.