New COVID-19 cases haven’t been so severe since April



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Highlighting the highly contagious delta variant, Albany County Director Dan McCoy said the 80 new COVID-19 cases reported on Friday were the highest in nearly four months.

Also on Saturday, the CDC’s data tracking now has Saratoga County rated “high” in its level of community transmission. The rest of the counties in the capital region are still in the lower, “substantial” category. The county has recorded 240 new cases in the past seven days, a jump of 44%.

As of April 22, Albany County had 20 people in hospital and six patients in intensive care units in the area, he said. On Friday, 11 were hospitalized, including two in intensive care.

McCoy also noted that there had been 292 new positive cases since Monday, so “there is no doubt that we need to get more people vaccinated.”

Of the 80 new cases, 15 had close contact with positive cases, four reported having traveled out of state, 55 did not yet have clear sources of infection, and six are health workers or residents. of collective living spaces.

The increase in the number of cases and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s “substantial rate of community transmission” label prompted several local governments last week to require employees and visitors to wear masks inside their buildings. , including the counties of Albany and Schenectady and the city of Albany. More and more local health facilities require their staff to be vaccinated or face dismissal.

Saratoga County Public Health Departments said on Saturday that its high level of transmission was fueled by the delta variant and the positivity rate in the county was 4.46%. The agency recommends that all people – whether fully vaccinated, partially vaccinated or unvaccinated – wear a mask indoors with people who are not members of their own household, outdoors in places overcrowded and during activities involving close contact with other people who are not fully immunized.

Weekly immunization clinics continue to be offered throughout the county. To date, 80.3 percent of county residents eligible for the vaccine and 70.1 percent of all county residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

“This level of vaccine coverage has prevented an increase in severe COVID-19 disease and hospitalizations in our community. Those who are not vaccinated remain the most at risk of infection, serious illness and hospitalization,” he said declared the county opinion.

The agency recommends testing people with signs or symptoms of COVID-19 and those who have been exposed to an infected person, whether they are showing signs or symptoms or have been fully vaccinated.

In Rensselaer County, 43 new cases were confirmed to the county health department on Thursday, the highest single-day total for new daily cases in months, the county said Friday evening.

McCoy said that following CDC guidelines, it is also recommended that all residents of Albany County wear masks when indoors in public spaces. More than a third of the county’s population received at least the first dose and 62.3% were fully immunized.

Community vaccination clinics

Friday, August 13 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Bleecker Stadium, Albany Youth Workforce
721 Clinton Ave, Albany

Friday August 13 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
PlayStreets 2021
Madison Park, Albany


from Tuesday August 17 to Sunday August 22; from noon to 7:30 p.m.
Altamont Fair
Route 146 and Arlington Street, Guilderland

Saturday, August 28, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Medusa Festival
28 County Road 351, Rensselaerville

To read the full public health notice, to get the COVID-19 vaccination clinic schedule, and to view the county’s COVID-19 dashboard, please visit the Saratoga County website, saratogacountyny. gov


Saturday August 28, time to be determined
Friendship Festival with CDPHP
Mosher Park, 2 Park Drive, Ravenna

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