ALBANY COUNTY — County officials responded on Saturday morning to protests over the decision not to allow high-risk sports until the COVID-19 infection rate drops to 4 percent.

“Where’s the chant to protect our seniors?” asked Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy, alluding to the deaths of elderly residents from the virus.

He had opened Saturday’s press briefing by announcing eight more county deaths from COVID-19 — four of them since Friday and four from earlier in the month.

This brings the county’s COVID-19 death toll to 312. Eighty-six of those deaths were in January, far surpassing the formerly most deadly month: December with 66 deaths. During the spring surge, 55 residents had died in May.

On Friday, Jan. 22, Governor Andrew Cuomo had said that county health departments would determine if high-risk sports would be allowed for schools and recreational leagues after Feb. 1.

Since the start of the pandemic in Albany County, in March, McCoy said, he and the county’s health commissioner, Elizabeth Whalen, had followed guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and from the World Health Organization.

“We haven’t wavered, Dr. Whalen and I, on one thing,” said McCoy. I don’t know why things are changing,” he said, alluding to Cuomo’s allowing high-risk sports and weddings. “And we’re just saying, ‘Hey, open up.  Do weddings. Do this, do that,’ when our numbers are at our peak We’ve lost more Albany County residents these last two months then we did in 11 months and more people are hospitalized.”

Speaking to parents, McCoy said, “I want your kids to feel normal but we can’t just kick out the science.”

As he had on Friday, McCoy urged coaches to read the guidance, which is now posted to the county’s website. McCoy suggested basketball, a high-risk sport, could be played from March to June, if the infection rate is down then. “Modify your season … Be creative,” he said.

McCoy noted that 11 counties had signed onto the guidance. Both he and Whalen said many coaches and superintendents had praised them for the decision to hold off on high-risk sports until the infection rate is lower. McCoy called the protesting coaches “5 percent of bad apples.”

“This is a common-sense approach,” said Whalen, noting it was discussed and agreed upon by county health commissioners in the region.

She pointed to a day-by-day graph of infections in the county, indicating there are many times more now than during the springtime surge.

“We are seeing many more people being sickened and we are concerned about hospitalizations,” said Whalen.

She noted, though, as she had earlier, that the number of infections is starting to decrease from the post-holiday high and she is “cautiously optimistic.” But, she also noted another COVID-19 variant in the area — B.1.1.7, the highly transmissible variant first identified in the United Kingdom.

“Quite frankly, it is just not time to open up things again,” said Whalen.

Referring to the protesters, she said, “I’m very concerned for the people that are outside today because it’s freezing … I agree everyone has a right to state their opinion but I think that the parents need to … really look at the information they are sharing with their children and look at what’s happening in the community and look about the message that sometimes we all have to make sacrifices for the greater good.”

Whalen said some parents have thanked her for the decision and shared with her “how difficult it is to communicate their concern to their children who have lost loved ones to COVID and are petrified to send their children into a situation where they may place them at risk. I also understand that there are many that want to get their children back involved in sports.”

Whalen went on, “What my decision must be is to protect the health of Albany County residents and this is why I made the decision I did.”

She noted that student athletes could, under the guidance, still continue to practice and train.

Whalen said that two of her own children are athletes and her third child is passionate about the arts. “That community is also suffering, not being able to perform and share their work with others. It is a difficult time,” she said.

Whalen said her department continues to see hundreds of cases every day in Albany County and she called the deaths every day “sobering.”

The infection rate for Albany County is currently 6.4 percent while for the Capital Region it is 5.5 percent.

Whalen concluded, “We really don’t have a choice at this point … We have to toe the line until we get through the worst of this.”

Newest numbers

McCoy described the latest victims of COVID-19 as a man in his fifties, a man and a woman in their sixties, two women in their seventies, a man in his eighties, and a man and a woman in their nineties.

As of Saturday morning, Albany County has had 18,191 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 188 new cases since Friday.

Of the new cases, 109 did not have a clear source of infection identified, 57 had close contact with someone infected with the disease, 21 were health-care workers or residents of congregate settings, and one traveled out of state.

The five-day average for new daily positives has increased to 183.4 from 176. There are now 1,564 active cases in the county, up from 1,550 yesterday.

The number of county residents under mandatory quarantine increased to 3,085 from 2,966. So far, 53,482 residents have completed quarantine. Of those, 16,627 had tested positive and recovered. That is an increase of 168 recoveries since Friday.

There were eight new hospitalizations overnight, and there are 154 county residents currently hospitalized from the virus — a net decrease of eight. There are still 11 patients in intensive-care units.

Of the state’s 10 regions, the Capital Region, along with the Mohawk Valley, continues to have the worst rate of available hospital beds, at 25 percent, according to Saturday’s release from the governor’s office.

Currently, 413 Capital Region residents are hospitalized with COVID-19, which is 0.04 percent of the region’s population.

Statewide, 0.04 percent of New Yorkers are hospitalized with COVID-19, leaving 33 percent of hospital beds available.

The Capital Region has improved its percentage of available ICU beds, to 21 percent, and is now tied with Long Island and New York City for the worst rate.

Statewide, 26 percent of ICU beds are available.

The Capital Region has administered 106,197 of the 131,380 vaccine doses it has received, which is 81 percent.

Statewide, 76 percent of received vaccine has been administered.