With 2 more COVID deaths, county’s toll rises to 371

ALBANY COUNTY — As more than a third of the county’s residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 — and nearly half have received at least one dose — two more residents have died of the disease.

Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy announced their deaths in a release on Sunday morning.

The latest casualties are a man in his sixties and a woman in her seventies.

This brings the county’s COVID-19 death toll to 371.

“We need to continue to move forward to protect our most vulnerable in the community and to keep the virus from taking lives. That means getting more shots into arms,” said McCoy in a statement.

According to the state’s vaccine tracker, as of Sunday night, 48.9 percent of Albany County’s 307,117 residents have received at least one dose of vaccine. McCoy reported on Sunday morning that 34.3 percent have been fully vaccinated.

Statewide, 41.4 percent of New Yorkers have had at least one dose while 28.1 percent have completed a vaccination series.

This weekend, Albany Medical Center announced that, starting on Monday, visitors — with restrictions — will be allowed at the hospital. Visitors will have their temperatures checked and must wear surgical masks.

Two visitors over 18 per patient will be allowed between 10 a.m. and noon and between 6 and 8 p.m.

A patient may have up to four visitors a day. The expansion from one to two visitors at a time aligns with updated guidelines from the state’s health department.

“Family members and friends are important partners in a patient’s healing process,” said Albany Med’s president and chief executive officer, Dennis McKenna, in a statement.

McCoy on Sunday also announced 70 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the county’s tally to 23,364.

Of the new cases, 39 had close contact with someone infected with the disease, 28 did not have clear sources of infection identified, two reported traveling out of state, and one was a health-care worker or resident of a congregate living setting.

The five-day average for new daily positives has increased to 64.6 from 60. There are now 550 active cases in the county, up from 513 on Saturday.

The number of Albany County residents under quarantine increased to 1,048 from 975. So far, 75,012 people have completed quarantine. Of those, 22,814 had tested positive and recovered. That is an increase of 31 recoveries since Saturday.

There were six new hospitalizations overnight and 29 county residents are now hospitalized from the virus. There are currently seven patients in intensive-care units, up from six yesterday.

The infection rate for Albany County, as of Saturday, as a seven-day rolling average, was the same as the state’s: 2.9 percent, according to the state’s dashboard.

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