ALBANY COUNTY — On Christmas Eve, Governor Kathy Hochul went over two new initiatives on the COVID front — having essential workers who have tested positive return to work in five days if they are vaccinated and asymptomatic, and having kids test at home to stay in school.

At the same time, Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy announced 332 new cases of COVID-19 — just 19 cases short of the county’s all-time high of 351 last Jan. 12 — and another virus-related death. A woman in her fifties succumbed to COVID-19, bringing the county’s death toll to 469.

“The number of new positive cases is again alarming at over 300 today,” said McCoy in a statement, releasing the numbers.

“And that will continue to grow as the COVID-19 spreads and people gather for the holidays,” said McCoy, urging residents to get vaccinated, wear masks, and stay six feet apart.

Currently about 71 percent of all Albany County residents are fully vaccinated, and about 88 percent of adult residents have received at least one shot.

Hochul noted the state’s number of new cases is surging with 44,431 in one day. That is partly because of widespread testing, with nearly 360,000 administered in one day, she said.

She also congratulated New Yorkers on reaching a milestone: 95 percent of adult New Yorkers have now had at least one shot. “You need to get that second dose,” said Hochul to New Yorkers who have received just one shot of Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech.

“And then start planning for that third shot, the booster shot,” she said.

New initiatives

Following evolving guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hochul said that she is now issuing new guidance for essential workers who have tested positive for COVID to return to work after five days — instead of the previously required 10 days — if they are “fully vaccinated and are asymptomatic or their symptoms have been resolving and they have no fever for the last 72 hours and they don’t have to be taking medication.”

She listed essential workers as including those in “health care, elder care, home health care, sanitation, grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants, you know who you are; you know you’re the ones that got us through the first many months of anxiety,” Hochul said.

Those returning workers will be required to wear masks, she said, stressing that the Omicron variant, which is now dominant, appears to be less severe than the Delta variant.

A second priority, besides getting people back to work, Hochul said, is to keep kids in schools.

“We’ve had very few cases in schools, which is a blessing,” said Hochul.

After winter break, on Jan. 3, students who have been exposed to the virus will take rapid antigen tests home in their backpacks and, if they test negative and are without symptoms, they can return to school.

Hochul cited “an experiment that was done in Grand Island,” which, she said, “had a very good outcome, and so the CDC just confirmed that test-to-stay works.”

“We want healthy kids to stay in school,” Hochul said.

So far this school year, according to the state’s tracker, as of Dec. 23, Guilderland, with about 4,800 students, has had 293 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with the vast majority, 247, of students; 29 staff members tested positive as did 17 teachers.

There were 84 cases at the high school, which includes district-wide workers like bus drivers as well; 68 at Farnsworth Middle School; 39 at Westmere Elementary; 33 at Pine Bush Elementary; 27 each at Lynnwood and Guilderland elementary schools; and 15 at Altamont Elementary School.

Voorheesville, with about 1,200 students, has had 80 confirmed cases — 69 of students, 5 of teachers, and 6 of staff — with 12 at the high school, 11 at the middle school, and 57 at the elementary school.

Berne-Knox-Westerlo, with about 780 students, has had 109 confirmed cases — 78 of students, 15 of teachers, and 16 of staff — with 13 at the elementary school and 13 at the secondary school. The rural BKW area has a lower vaccination rate than its suburban counterparts.

Hochul also announced that, starting on Dec. 27, the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision is going to require visitors to either provide proof of being fully vaccinated or a negative COVID-19 test taken within the last 48 hours.

She said of prisons, “This is a population where this could run through like wildfire and that is not sustainable. We cannot have staff getting sick because there’s not an alternative. There’s not a lot of people in reserve who will go into our correctional facilities to do the very challenging work that they do day in and day out.”

Hochul said at-home tests will be supplied to the prisons so people can be tested.

Timeline

Hochul, who has been in office for four months, began her address by going over a timeline of the actions she has taken to deal with the coronavirus.

On Nov. 26, which she said was the day the World Health Organization identified the highly contagious Omicron variant, Hochul signed an executive order to give herself powers “to be nimble” if the need arose.

Also on Nov. 26, all nursing homes were required to make booster doses available. On Dec. 1, National Guard members were sent to help at nursing homes that were short staffed.

The first Omicron case in New York was reported on Dec. 2.

On Dec. 10, businesses were required to either have a vaccine mandate or to require people to wear masks inside. On Dec. 17, additional vaccination sites were brought online.

On Dec. 22, Hochul announced the acquisition of 37 million free take-home tests. “They’re not in possession yet,” she said.

There are now 1,800 testing sites in New York State, Hochul said.

Hochul said she will not be gathering with her family for Christmas but will visit with them through teleconferencing as she did last year.

“But those of you who remember how hard it was last year and are making those steps of travel, if you’re vaccinated and boosted, wear that mask, you’re fine,” said Hochul. “You should be fine. Embrace your family, love them. But also let’s just talk about how we can keep people safe.”

She went on, “All the data from experts are now telling us that unvaccinated people are 20 times more likely to die than the vaccinated. That is staggering.”

Hochul concluded, “So we’re going to spread holiday cheer, not COVID.”