Albany County reports 100 new cases; one newdeath
On Thanksgiving Day, Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy announced that the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Albany County has now climbed to 5,367 to date, an increase of 100 new positive cases since Wednesday.
Another county resident passed away due to complications from the virus. He was a man in his 80s who did not live in a nursing home or other congregate setting. Albany County’s death toll is now 151 since the outbreak began.
“Sadly, I have to report that another Albany County resident has lost his life to this virus and his family is grieving on this holiday,” McCoy said. “I understand the loss that all the families of the 151 peoplewho have died inAlbany County fromCOVID-19 are feeling. I knowthatwe’re asking people to make sacrifices for Thanksgiving, but we are asking this to protect those people for which we are thankful.
“We don’t want anyone to get sick and maybe die from this virus because you spread it during your Thanksgiving dinner.”
Officials note that our overall case count will fluctuate as the CommCare records for college students are transferred to the county in which they are isolating for their daily monitoring and then transferred back to Albany County for the final case count.
Additionally, the number of people undermandatory quarantine jumped to 2,714 from 2,452. The five- day average for new daily positives decreased to 90.6 from 93. There are now 949 active cases in the county, up from 918 yesterday.
So far, 21,785 people have completed quarantine. Of those who completed quarantine, 4,418 of them had tested positive and recovered. Among the new positive cases, 11 had close con
tact with positive cases, three reported traveling out of state, 84 did not have a clear source of infection at this time and two are healthcare workers or residents of congregate settings – though not from Shaker Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.
There were no new hospitalizations to report overnight, while the number of county residents currently hospitalized from the virus remains at 41. There are still 10 patients in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit), and the hospitalization rate is now 0.76%.
The county executive was joined by Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple who also asked people to abide by the guidelines to keep others safe and to think about those who have lost jobs, who are struggling to put food on the table or who are alone.
“Be courteous,” Apple said. “It’s the holiday season, andwe’re all trying our best to get through this, so we’re just asking for a little bit of patience.”
“Do the right thing,” McCoy added. “Here’s your challenge, wear a mask, cough into your arm, clean your hands, stay six feet apart, do the right stuff, and [then] we won’t have to do this every day, and you won’t have to see me [during daily coronavirus briefings].”
Ahead of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, McCoy encouraged residents to stay safe while shopping local, and consider patronizing businesses on their online platforms or using curb- side pickup. Downtown Albany Business Improvement District has a list online of ways to shop without going into the physical locations. The Lark Street Business Improvement District is also hosting its Lark Street Holiday Market on Saturday.