ALBANY COUNTY — While the infection rate, nationally and locally, continues its downward trend from the post-holiday high, another county resident has succumbed to COVID-19.

A woman in her eighties died on Thursday, Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy said at his press briefing Friday morning.

This brings the county’s COVID-19 death toll to 338.

“The good thing is our numbers are going down. The sad thing is people are still dying,” said McCoy.

He stressed the success of the county’s new online system to pre-register for a COVID-19 vaccine. Over 8,000 people pre-registered in the first 24 hours, he said. 

Of those, 6,300 were Albany County residents and some were duplicates, he said. When slots become available, eligible county residents who have pre-registered will be contacted by text, email or phone, McCoy said.

“We’ll get you when your category hits … You won’t have to call again,” he said.

The county vaccination clinic is still focused on essential workers. On Feb. 15, people with comorbidities will become eligible for vaccination statewide. 

McCoy said the county is working with the state’s health department to understand if, for example, cancer would outweigh obesity is qualifying someone to get vaccinated.

“Nothing outweighs anything,” he concluded.

McCoy also urged people to be honest in meeting eligibility requirements. “Some people won’t be honest … some people have lied, he said.

Also on Friday, State Assemblywoman Patricia Fahy with State Senator Anna Kaplan announced the introduction of legislation that would would discourage individuals and medical professionals from intentionally creating counterfeit or false records of COVID-19 vaccination status; it’s called the “Truth in Vaccination” bill.

McCoy also highlighted data from the county’s dashboard that showed various demographic trends with COVID-19.

Last May, he noted men accounted for 43 percent of COVID-19 deaths in the county while women accounted for 47 percent.

“It’s flipped since springtime,” said McCoy. Now, women account for more than 54 percent of deaths and men for less than 46 percent.

McCoy also cited a National Geographic survey that found women are less likely than men to get vaccinated; it’s a 19-percent difference.

Finally, he congratulated Albany County Health Commissioner Elizabeth Whalen for receiving the Four Chaplains Award for her service throughout the pandemic. The award is named for four World War II chaplains who died rescuing people as the troop ship SS Dorchester sank on Feb. 3, 1943. 

“This was all about the health-care workers on the front line,” said McCoy.

Newest numbers

As of Friday morning, Albany County has had 19,443 confirmed cases of COVID-19 including 85 cases since Thursday.

Of the new cases, 60 did not have clear sources of infection identified, 20 had close contact with someone infected with the disease, and five were health-care workers or residents of congregate settings.

The five-day average for new daily positives has decreased to 84.8 from 88. There are now 787 active cases in the county, down from 850 on Thursday.

The number of county residents under mandatory quarantine decreased to 1,805 from 1,885. So far, 59,562 residents have completed quarantine. Of those, 18,656 had tested positive and recovered. That is an increase of 144 recoveries since yesterday.

There were nine new hospitalizations overnight, and there are now 91 county residents currently hospitalized from the virus — a net increase of one. There are now 17 patients in intensive-care units, up from 16 yesterday.

According to a Friday release from the governor’s office, the Capital Region has administered 160,075 of the 199,740 vaccine doses it has been given this week, which is 80 percent.

Statewide, 82 percent have been administered.

Of the state’s 10 regions, the Capital Region continues to have the worst rate for available hospital beds, at 28 percent, and for available ICU beds at 17 percent.

As of Thursday, as a seven-day rolling average, the Capital Region’s infection rate was 2.88 percent. Statewide, the positivity rate is 4.04 percent.

Albany County, as of Thursday, as a seven-day rolling average, had an infection rate of 3.2 percent, according to the state’s dashboard.