COVID-19 cases up in Albany County
Gatherings for Passover, Easter raise surge fears
County officials voiced concern Sunday over the continuing increase of overnight COVID -19 cases, particularly with upcoming religious holidays.
Albany County saw 83 new positive cases of COVID -19 Sunday, raising its five-day average for new daily positives from 66.4 up to 73.4.
“Again today, we are reporting another large number of new positive cases and our seven-day rolling average has now gone up to 2.1 percent as of yesterday according to the state dashboard,” County Executive Dan Mccoy said in a statement. “This is a cause for concern as families are observing Passover which started last night and with Easter coming up next Sunday.”
Of the new positive cases, 33 had close contact with others infected with the virus, five had traveled out of state, one was a health care worker or resident of a congregate setting and 44 did not have a clear source of infection.
The county also saw two new hospitalizations overnight, with a total of 28 people hospitalized from the virus. The intensive care unit population went down by two, with only one ICU patient as of Sunday.
“I wish happy holidays to everyone but I also urge everyone to engage in social distancing, mask wearing, good hand hygiene and coughing and sneezing into your arm to contain the spread of COVID -19,” Mccoy said. “Even if you have been fully vaccinated, there remains that two-week period before full immunization kicks in. Stay safe.”
In New York, the seven-day average of positive COVID-19 cases inched up Thursday to Saturday, from 3.37 percent to 3.45 percent. Daily deaths are about the same as a week ago, with 64 people dying from coronavirus complications statewide Saturday.
“The vaccine is the weapon that will win the war, and each day more New Yorkers are getting vaccinated for COVID -19. However, the infection rate also depends on what we do, and New Yorkers should continue staying safe and protecting one another as the virus continues to spread in our state,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said in a statement Sunday. “Simple behaviors like wearing a mask, washing hands and social distancing can have outsize impact, especially
when communities make the collective decision to follow the rules. Our vast distribution network is at the ready to ramp
up vaccinations, but we still have a long way to go before defeating COVID -19 and ending the pandemic once and for all.”