ALBANY COUNTY — COVID-19 infection rates remain low locally and across New York State.

For the 11th straight day, New York State’s rate of positive tests was below 1 percent.

For the Capital Region, of which Albany County is a part, the  percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is 0.8 percent.

“If you compare New York State to the rest of the country, we’re doing well,” said Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy at his Tuesday morning press briefing.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Tuesday that the safety net for uninsured New Yorkers will be extended in the midst of the ongoing public-health crisis. The special enrollment period is extended for another 30 days, through Sept. 15. New Yorkers can apply for coverage through NY State of Health, the state’s health insurance marketplace, or directly through insurers.

“While we’ve crushed the curve of the virus, we are still in challenging times for hard-working families throughout the state who need access to quality, affordable health care,” Cuomo said in making the announcement.

“The state has maintained low infection rates and is moving in the right direction, but we know we’re not out of the woods yet,” he said. “By offering this special enrollment period, we’re making sure New Yorkers who need affordable and at times live-saving health care coverage can get it.”

Also on Tuesday, Cuomo said that two more states — Alaska and Delaware — meet the metrics to qualify for the travel advisory requiring people traveling from the listed states, all of which have significant community spread, to quarantine for 14 days upon arrival in New York.

These are now the listed states and territories: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, Nevada, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Virgin Islands, and Wisconsin.

Newest numbers

McCoy pointed out Tuesday, as he frequently does, that county residents in the 20-to-29 age group have the highest number of infections. That number now stands at 507 cases.

People in that age group often show no symptoms and can unwittingly spread the disease to more vulnerable people. McCoy urged them to get tested.

Albany County Health Commissioner Elizabeth Whalen seconded that advice and also repeated the need to continue frequent hand-washing, mask-wearing, and keeping six feet from others.

“Our numbers are still down,” she said, noting the highest numbers of cases continue to be in the 12203 ZIP code. Cases are predominantly congregated around the city area, she added.

Looking at data on the county’s dashboard, Whalen noted that 60 percent of the county’s COVID-19 deaths have been of females and 40 percent of males. She said this could be partly because women live longer than men; the vast majority of COVID-19 deaths in the county have been of elderly people.

African-Americans in Albany County, following a nationwide trend, continue to have more COVID-19 patients in intensive-care units than county demographics for African Americans, Whalen pointed out.

On average, about 1,000 Albany County residents get tested daily, Whalen said, with a positive rate of 2.91 percent for the entire period of the pandemic, which began in early March.

As of Tuesday morning, Albany County has 2,427 confirmed cases of COVID-19, an increase of five since Monday. Three of the new cases are of healthcare workers or residents of private congregate settings and two do not have a clear source of transmission at this time. 

Whalen said that the untraced cases mean that COVID-19 is “circulating in the community.”

“It’s good we’re keeping out of the double digits,” said McCoy, referencing the number of new cases over each of the last several days.

Currently, Albany County has 564 residents under quarantine, up from 560 on Monday. The five-day average for new daily positives has dropped to 6.2 from 7.8 on Monday.

Albany County now has 35 active cases, down from 41 on Monday.

So far, 8,629 county residents have completed quarantine. Of those who completed quarantine, 2,392 of them had tested positive and recovered, an increase of 11.

Seven county residents are hospitalized due to the virus, with two in intensive-care units. The county’s hospitalization rate remains at 0.28 percent

Albany County’s COVID-19 death toll remains at 130.