ALBANY COUNTY — Albany County’s 62nd week of coping with COVID started last Thursday with a shot in the arm — the first vaccination of 12- to 15-year-olds.

Albany County had prepared ahead so that the day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had endorsed the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for the new age group — on May 12 — it was administering the shots at its POD, or point of dispensing, on Thursday.

On Monday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that New York would follow guidance from the Centers for disease control and Prevention, lifting requirements for full-vaccinated New Yorkers, starting on Wednesday, to wear masks and stay apart.

As the county’s infection rate remained low, officials’ efforts centered on reaching residents skeptical of vaccination.

“We’re almost at that 70 percent ...,” Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy said at a Monday morning press briefing. “We’re like peeking out the end of the tunnel.”

As of Wednesday evening, 59.3 percent of Albany County’s 307,117 residents had received at least one shot, according to the state’s vaccine tracker. Statewide, 50.5 percent of New Yorkers had received at least one dose.

Vaccine hesitancy continues to be an issue,” said McCoy. The county is using give-aways to try to entice residents to get vaccinated: McCoy said that Dunkin’ was giving out $5 gift cards to those who get vaccinated and that Stewart’s had given out 200 ice-cream-cone vouchers.

The New York State Association of Counties this week posted a list of incentive-based initiatives from counties across the state. The page notes that recent surveys show nearly 30 percent of Americans still have significant misgivings about receiving the vaccine.

“With vaccine supply steadily outpacing demand, New York State, and its governmental and public health leaders are entering a new phase of the pandemic response; one which trades the ‘warp-speed’ rush to develop and distribute a vaccine, for the slow, steady trudge toward ‘herd immunity,’” the association says. 

In Oneida County, app-based technology is being used to distribute federal recovery money directly into the hands of residents, providing incentives for vaccination and support for local small businesses. In Erie County, the “Shot and a Chaser” program offers free beer at local breweries for the vaccinated. In New York City, free tickets are being offered to the Aquarium, Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Bronx Zoo, and Lincoln Center among others.

Concerns about new guidance

At Monday morning’s press briefing, just before Cuomo announced New York would follow CDC guidance, McCoy spoke of the “heartache” local restaurant owners had been through with the State Liquor Authority “fining the hell out of these people” for violations like customers not wearing masks.

“People are fed up; they’re done,” said McCoy. However, he also said, “You shouldn’t be ashamed to wear that mask.”

McCoy noted that masks had helped control not only COVID-19 but flu as well. He also stressed that the CDC guidance “only applies to those who are vaccinated.”

Albany County Health Commissioner Elizabeth Whalen said the new CDC guidance is “very encouraging” and “means we’re going in the right direction.”

She went on, “It also makes a lot of people apprehensive because with that guidance comes questions: How do we know that someone has been fully vaccinated?” Whalen raised other questions such as: How are businesses expected to respond to the guidance? 

“Perhaps most importantly: How are we continuing to protect those that cannot be vaccinated, which at this point is the population under the age of 12?” Whalen asked.

She said that some parents of medically fragile children do not welcome the new guidance and are understandably nervous about it.

“We need to be able to allay fears,” Whalen said.

She surmised that, post-COVID, there will be a place for masks for those who want to wear them. “COVID has changed our thoughts on how we protect ourselves,” she said.

As with any overarching decision, Whalen said, understanding the details are important. “People have many questions and many concerns …,” she said. “We don’t want people to feel like they are out on a limb and don’t know what to do.”

She concluded, “The guidance is based on good science but we need to look at the details on what’s involved in this kind of broad, overarching policy.”

Youth movement

Whalen on Thursday spoke of the importance of vaccinating 12- to 15-year-olds. “This decision was not made lightly and was made after thorough review of data on safety,” she said.

Whalen outlined the advantages for that age group to get vaccinated. With vaccine effectiveness on the order of 95 percent, Whalen said, youth will be able to reunite with family members, “visiting elderly relatives.”

Also, students will be able to attend in-person classes at school consistently. Being out of school, she said, has been “very hard on kids.”

“Once you are fully vaccinated … you do not need to quarantine,” said Whalen.

After a first Pfizer shot is given, a second shot is administered three weeks later; then, after a two-week wait, the recipient is considered fully vaccinated.

A parent or guardian of an adolescent age 12 to 15 must be present for the vaccination and must sign a consent form. No birth certificate or Social Security number is needed.

Whalen noted that the population under age 18 accounts for about 20 percent of COVID-19 cases nationwide, calling it “a significant driver of infection.”

She went on, “Although our numbers are going down, we are still seeing people that are being … hospitalized and unfortunately we are seeing deaths. These can be prevented with broader vaccination of our population.”

Whalen said the county would be happy to share the vaccine it is given with local providers and encouraged pediatricians to get certified to give the shots at their offices. She also said, “We encourage pediatricians to come and help us out at our clinics.”

Whalen concluded, “If you look at countries where vaccination rates are better, you see countries with less disease … We want to get to the point of eradication … so we can all assume life as we knew it before.”

Vaccine outreach

McCoy said on Thursday that the county’s vaccination rate has slowed. “It’s now an increase by 2 percent each week. In the beginning, we were literally at 4 percent or more … We’re hitting that wall. We need to get more people vaccinated,” he said.

Albany County, partnering with the Capital District Physicians Health Plan and Focus Churches of Albany, continues to hold weekly Pfizer vaccination clinics at Emmanuel Baptist Church at 275 State Street in Albany. On Fridays, May 21, and 28, residents can get vaccinated between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. without an appointment. Second doses will be scheduled at the time of the first dose.

The county’s health department also continues to administer vaccinations and to answer questions about vaccines at its Green Street office. Walk-ins are welcome for Pfizer shots from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Free transportation is available for anyone 60 or older by calling the County Department for Aging at 518-447-7198 in advance.

“We will come to your house. We will pick you up — you and your aid. We will get you there and get you vaccinated and back to your home,” said McCoy.

Albany County is now delivering vaccines to homebound residents, which includes seniors, people with disabilities, those lacking childcare, and those with other accessibility issues. Anyone who would like to schedule a time for a vaccine appointment should call 518-447-7198.

“We are seeing less disease in the community ...,” said Whalen on Monday morning. “But we are not there yet.” More people need to be reached for vaccination, she said.

“If we look at other countries where the vaccination rate isn’t as high as it is in this country, we have seen devastating effects,” she said.

Twenty-two weeks into the vaccination program, Whalen said, “People are understanding that this vaccine is safe and effective. They have watched the transmission go down … Vaccination is the key to ending this.”

 Community providers as well as health department staff are eager to answer questions and help educate people, said Whalen, adding, “For most people, the messenger is just as important as the message.”

Newest numbers

McCoy, in a release on Wednesday morning, announced 17 confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the county’s tally to 24,184. Thirteen did not have a clear source of infection identified, and four had close contact with someone infected with the disease.

The five-day average for new daily positives decreased from 18 to 15.6. There still remain 99 active cases in the county, unchanged from Tuesday.

The number of Albany County residents under quarantine increased to 281 from 265. So far, 78,898 county residents have completed quarantine. Of those, 24,085 had tested positive and recovered. That is an increase of 17 recoveries since yesterday.

There were four new hospitalizations overnight, and there are now 15 county residents hospitalized from the virus — a net increase of two. There are currently seven patients in intensive-care units, up from six yesterday.

Albany County’s COVID-19 death toll remains at 378.

Albany County’s infection rate, as of Tuesday, as a seven-day rolling average, is 0.9 percent. Statewide, the infection rate, also as of Tuesday, as a seven-day rolling average, is 1.1 percent, according to the state’s dashboard.