ALBANY COUNTY — Four more confirmed cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19 were announced on Monday evening, bringing the state’s total to 12 so far.

For the first time, two of the new cases are upstate — from Oneida County, near the center of New York.

The other two new cases are from Suffolk County on Long Island, the site of an earlier case. The eight other cases are all from New York City.

While none of the new cases are related to the recent anime convention at the Javits Center in New York City, a release from Governor Kathy Hochul’s office said, the state’s health department still urges anyone who attended to get tested for COVID-19.

Over 50,000 people attended the late November event, including a person from Minnesota who was the second United States resident with a confirmed case of the Omicron variant and the first to contract the variant stateside.

The first case reported in the United States, on Dec. 3, was of a Californian returning from a trip to Africa.

Last Friday, scientists with the South African COVID-19 Modelling Consortium posted a report, which is not yet peer reviewed or published in a scientific journal, saying that Omicron is spreading at more than twice the speed of the Delta variant in South Africa.

The rapid spread, The New York Times reports, is because of Omicron’s contagiousness and because of the variant’s ability to dodge the body’s immune system, the researchers said; Omicron was first identified on Nov. 23 in South Africa and now accounts for about three-quarters of new cases there.

Omicron has now been reported in over 145 countries.

Albany County

In Albany County, Executive Daniel McCoy on Monday reported another death — a man in his eighties — from COVID-19, bringing the county’s death toll from the virus to 453.

“Today marks three consecutive days that I’ve had to report new COVID deaths in Albany County, and my heart breaks for the most recent families who had someone they love taken too soon because of this virus,” said McCoy in his daily COVID release on Monday. “And while we’re seeing slightly lower numbers of new daily infections today, 147 new cases is still nearly double the 75 infections we reported just one week ago.”

The county’s five-day average of new daily positive cases is now at 192.8. There are now 738 active cases in Albany County, up from 708 yesterday. The number of county residents under quarantine increased to 1,106 from 1,056.

Albany County’s most recent seven-day average of percent positive rate is now down to 6.5 percent and the Capital Region’s average rate is now down to 7.6 percent.

In May 2020, the World Health Organization advised governments that, before reopening, rates of positivity in testing — out of all tests conducted, how many came back positive for COVID-19 — should remain at 5 percent or lower for at least 14 days.

There were five new COVID-related hospitalizations since Sunday, and there are now a total of 44 county residents hospitalized with the coronavirus — a net increase of two. Seven of those hospital patients are now in intensive-care units, unchanged from Tuesday.

“As we continue to respond to the latest surge of COVID-19, we know the situation could get even worse with the continued spread of the Omicron variant, the cold weather forcing people to spend more of their time indoors, and more holidays coming up at the end of the month,” said McCoy. “Please do your part by getting vaccinated if you haven’t yet, getting the booster shot if you have, wearing masks indoors and at large gatherings, getting tested, and staying home if you’re feeling sick.”

As of Tuesday, 75.9 percent of all Albany County residents have received at least the first dose of the vaccine, and 68.4 percent have been fully vaccinated. The first-dose vaccination rate for Albany County residents 18 and older is 85.1 percent.

A vaccination clinic is being held on Monday, Dec. 13, from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at Guilderland Elementary School at 2225 Western Ave. in Guilderland. Vaccinations are by appointment only. Scheduling for 5- to 11-year-olds will be handled by individual schools directly with parents of students. For people 12 and older, first, second, and booster shots of Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech will be offered.

Residents can also receive free Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines, including booster shots, Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., at the Albany County Department of Health at 175 Green Street. Aside from Wednesdays, appointments are now required.

Albany County continues to deliver vaccines to homebound residents, which includes seniors, disabled individuals, 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.

Ag grants

State Agriculture Commissioner Richard Ball on Monday encouraged New York State’s agricultural industry to apply for the $800 million COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program.

Grants are available for eligible small businesses that have revenues up to $2.5 million and are experiencing hardship due to COVID-19.

“There are so many agribusinesses that are still feeling the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and facing many challenges after having lost markets at schools and restaurants,” Ball said in a statement. “This grant program provides an opportunity for our food and beverage producers, our farmers, and our growers to access some much-needed capital to help recover their losses and rebuild their businesses.”

Empire State Development and Lendistry, the minority-led Community Development Financial Institution that was selected to administer the program, are accepting and reviewing applications on a rolling basis. There is no deadline. Questions about the program can be directed to Lendistry at 877-721-0097.

Grants for a minimum award of $5,000 and a maximum award of $50,000 are calculated based on a business’s annual gross receipts for 2019.

Reimbursable COVID-19-related expenses must have been incurred between March 1, 2020 and April 1, 2021 and can include payroll costs; commercial rent or mortgage payments for New York State-based property; payment of local property or school taxes; insurance and utility costs; costs of personal protection equipment necessary to protect worker and consumer health and safety; costs for heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning, or other machinery and equipment; and supplies and materials necessary for compliance with COVID-19 health and safety protocols. 

Additionally, the limitation for businesses that received Federal Paycheck Protection Program loans has been increased from $100,000 to $250,000. 

To help the agricultural industry apply for the COVID-19 Pandemic Small Business Recovery Grant Program, a webinar for interested businesses will be held on Dec. 13 at 11 a.m. The webinar will provide an overview of the grant program, the level of funding available, and how to apply for funds.

Help for homeowners

Also on Monday, Hochul announced that New York is the first state in the nation to receive U.S. Department of the Treasury's approval to launch its Homeowner Assistance Fund, which will provide up to $539 million to help eligible homeowners avert mortgage delinquency, default, foreclosure, and displacement.

Applications will be accepted beginning Monday, Jan. 3, 2022.

“Many New Yorkers are still recovering from the pandemic, and just like we did for renters, our state is now leading the way to provide much-needed economic relief to vulnerable homeowners across the state,” Hochul said in a statement, announcing the grants. “We know that the economic pain of the pandemic has been felt disproportionately in rural communities, communities of color, and immigrant communities, and this program is a demonstration of our commitment to placing the needs of New Yorkers in need at the heart of our work.”

At the same time, the NYS HAF program website, an information call center, and a multilingual marketing campaign were launched to educate homeowners about the program.

Designed and administered by New York State Homes and Community Renewal, NYS HAF will target low- to moderate-income homeowners who are behind on mortgage payments, property taxes, or water or sewer bills, as well as owners of cooperative or condo units behind on maintenance fees, and manufactured homeowners behind on chattel loans or retail installment contracts.

Eligible applicants may receive financial assistance to catch up on missed housing payments, to reduce mortgage debt to make monthly mortgage payments more affordable, and for homeowners who are unemployed, assistance with up to six months of future housing payments.

Eligible applicants must have household incomes at or below 100 percent of the Area Median Income and must be at least 30 days delinquent on monthly housing payments for their primary residence.

Awards will be capped at $50,000 per household. Assistance will be structured as a five-year, non-interest, non-amortizing forgivable loan. If the homeowner remains in the home for a period of five years, the loan will be fully forgiven.

In addition, the NYS HAF program is working in partnership with the Office of the New York State Attorney General to advocate with mortgage lenders and mortgage servicers to ensure homeowners are receiving all available relief under federal and state rules. This includes extended mortgage terms, deferment of missed payments or forbearance amounts, and lower interest rates to reduce monthly payments.