Area sees spike in infections
Region has 2nd-highest rate in state, hospitalizations rising, but central New York declines offer some hope
The Capital Region has the second-highest level of reported COVID -19 infections statewide, and hospitalizations are also continuing to trend upward.
The region is seeing 55 people per 100,000 test positive daily for coronavirus on a seven-day average — a number that is no doubt lower than actual infections as many people take at-home tests and do not report the results to county health departments. That number of daily positive cases was last seen in early February when the first omicron surge was waning.
On Sunday, Gov. Kathy Hochul said she had tested positive but was asymptomatic. Hochul has encouraged people to get vaccinated and boostered before traveling or seeing vulnerable loved ones — and if you test positive to check with a doctor about possible treat
ments.
“I know firsthand how tests can help stop the spread to our vulnerable loved ones, so let’s keep using this critical tool,” Hochul said Tuesday in a statement.
Western New York is tops statewide in reported infections, with 62 out of 100,000 people testing positive, according to the state’s most recent data released Tuesday afternoon. Long Island is just behind the Capital Region, with just under 55 people per 100,000 testing positive.
Despite 77 percent of New York residents completing the COVID -19 vaccine series, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, omicron subvariants have made New York and sections of New England the nation’s largest hotspot for coronavirus.
Warren County has the highest level of infection in the Capital Region, with 67 people per 100,000 testing positive. All data is based on a seven-day average to avoid any data reporting anomalies.
Capital Region residents admitted to the hospital who had positive COVID -19 tests sat at a little more than 17 people per 100,000 as of Monday’s data, the thirdhighest level in the state.
The numbers show who in the hospital was positive — meaning not all patients are admitted for COVID -19 specifically. The state said as of Monday, 51 percent of those hospitalized who tested positive for COVID -19 did not list the virus as the main reason for treatment. However, the number of COVID -19 positive patients in the Capital Region has multiplied fourfold since early April, when only about four people per 100,000 were admitted and tested positive.
On Tuesday, Albany County said a woman in her 80s died from the virus.
While the infection is prevalent in the Capital Region, other regions are faring worse in hospitalizations. The Finger Lakes region has the highest COVID -19 positive hospital patient rate, at nearly 29 people per 100,000.
While the latest surge is hitting upstate the hardest, there are possible signs that the spread of the particular subvariants circulating now is slowing in certain locations.
Central New York, the first region in the state to see coronavirus once again spiking, has seen reported positive tests slowly declining since April 16. COVID-19 positive hospital patients there are also slightly down over the last week.