ALBANY COUNTY — On Saturday morning, Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy announced 80 new cases of COVID-19 — the highest reported in a single day since April 22.

At the same time, the state’s dashboard reported that Albany County, as of Friday, as a seven-day rolling average, had an infection rate of 4.9 — a rate it hasn’t hit in months. Statewide, the infection rate is 2.9 percent.

“This significant uptick is due to the highly contagious Delta variant,” McCoy said in a release, reporting the latest numbers. “It spreads quickly, and even vaccinated people can catch and spread it. In fact, we have reported 292 new positive cases since August 2nd and there is no doubt that we need to get more people vaccinated against COVID-19.”

The highly contagious Delta variant, which was first identified in India in October, is now by far the dominant strain in the United States.

“We are working to get further information on breakthrough cases but the only way we can beat this is to get more people vaccinated and reach herd immunity,” McCoy went on. “I am asking you to get a shot if you haven’t yet, and if you have, encourage those you know who have not to get vaccinated to protect themselves and our community.

As of Friday, 67.2 percent of Albany County’s 307,117 residents had received at least the first dose of vaccine, and 62.3 percent had been fully vaccinated.

“The CDC has indicated the county has a substantial rate of community transmission and we are requiring everyone, vaccinated or not, who enters county-owned facilities to wear masks starting Monday, as recommended,” McCoy said. “Following the CDC guidelines, it is also highly recommended that all Albany County residents wear masks when indoors in public areas.”

Every state in the nation is now labeled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as having at least a “substantial” rate of community transmission and the vast majority of states — including New York — are now labeled as having a “high” rate of transmission.

This means, throughout the United States, people, whether vaccinated or not, should wear masks indoors, according to new CDC guidance.

There are now 290 active cases of COVID-19 in Albany County, up from 259 since Friday, McCoy reported. The number of people under mandatory quarantine increased to 471 from 455.

McCoy also reported one new hospitalization since Friday, and 11 county residents are now hospitalized with the virus. There are now two patients currently in intensive care units.

The death toll for Albany county remains at 388.