EXECUTIVE TALKS
McCoy discusses Cuomo scandal; vaccine distribution; food insecurity
ALBANY, N.Y. » During his Monday morning press briefing, Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy discussed an array of topics. McCoy commented on the county’s vaccination progress. He also touched on tackling food insecurity in the county.
Plus, McCoy confirmed he’d spoken to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s vaccine czar, Larry Schwartz, referencing weekend reports in the Washington Post and New York Times that Schwartz had pressured multiple county executives to pledge their support to Cuomo amid his multiple scandals.
The Democratic county executive described the nature of a discussion with Schwartz, on whether he had been pressured to pledge his loyalty to the Governor or if Schwartz appeared to be politicizing the vaccination distribution process as a result.
“I wouldn’t say judge my loyalty to the Governor,” McCoy remarked.
“I’ve had a lot of conversations. We agree to disagree on a lot of topics,” McCoy continued.
“Briefly, you know, asked where I stood,” McCoy added on the nature of the call, confirming Schwartz had made the ask on McCoy’s level of support.
The county executive reiterated his initial call that the women accusers should be heard and that there should be a full independent inquiry and review pertaining to the Governor’s alleged transgressions.
McCoy also detailed the newest allotment of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine to arrive in the county.
“I’m proud of the progress we continue to make on the vaccination front. So far, Albany County has been able to administer, distribute and reallocate nearly 16,600 first doses and more than 4,200 second doses. This has contributed to the county’s nearly 28% first dose vaccination rate. We’ll be able to grow that number with the 500 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine heading our way that will help us vaccinate homebound seniors,” McCoy remarked.
Additionally, the county executive announced 57
new positive cases. Encompassed within the new cases were 22 who had close contact with positive cases, 31 who did not presently have a clear infection source, and four who are healthcare workers or residents of congregate settings.
There are 498 active cases in the county. The number of people under mandatory quarantine decreased to 1,191. Plus, 65 cases were cleared for recovery and release.
There were four new hospitalizations overnight, and there are currently 29 county residents hospitalized from the virus, with four patients remaining in the ICU.
To discuss the ongoing topic of food insecurity during the pandemic and resulting economic fallout, McCoy was joined by The Food Pantries for the Capital District Executive Director Natasha Pernicka.
“The worst of the pandemic is over and the economy is slowly but surely being reopened, but the Food Pantries have been and will continue to be an important partner for tackling food insecurity,” McCoy said. “This organization helped tens of thousands of county residents over the last year, and our lower-income residents unfortunately will likely feel the effects of the weakened economy for years into the future.
“That’s why we need to get nonprofit workers and volunteers vaccinated, and I encourage anyone who’s able to donate or volunteer themselves.”
“So when we talk about hunger and getting people food, I always need to mention that it is critical, number one, for all people who are working to have living wages. The second area that really fights hunger in a very large way is our federal nutrition support programs like SNAP and WICK and school lunch programs,” Pernicka noted.
“So when we think about the solution, how do we do this and we need to do it collaboratively, beyond living wages, number two, we need to have strong federal nutrition support programs. And New York state should really invest more than $1 billion a year to connect New Yorkers facing food insecurity with SNAP and WICK and other resources,” Pernicka added.
Pernicka also said at the local community level they are attempting to keep up their staffing levels by getting pantry workers vaccinated, as well as adding any interested volunteers.
The Food Pantries of the Capital District has more than 30 locations in Albany County and more than 60 throughout the Capital Region, dedicated to helping provide an estimated 2.7 million meals to those in need each year.
Pernicka noted that since July the organization has been able to deliver over 3,000 meals to those who have been unable to leave their homes during the pandemic through a partnership with Albany County. The Food Pantries have helped serve over 24,000 Albany County residents throughout 2020.