“It could take one year to vaccinate the population using only a private sector network. This country can’t afford to take one year to do vaccinations,” said Governor Andrew Cuomo today of the White House plan for distributing COVID-19 vaccines.

With 53 new COVID-19 cases overnight and the highest hospitalization rate since June, county workers will be on staggered shifts and working remotely.

Albany County’s health department is having workers carry on their essential duties from home after four employees tested positive for COVID-19.

“We’re playing Whac-A-Mole with the micro-clusters,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday. “You get a micro-cluster that flares up, we attack it, more restrictions, it drops, another micro-cluster pops up and what we’re seeing obviously nationwide is a very threatening rate of increase, and so far, knock wood, New York has defied that rate of increase.”

Seventy-two county residents have died of overdoses in the first nine months of 2020, a 44-percent increase over last year.

This year, in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic shutdown, the need for donated toys will be much greater but, at the same time, collecting the toys will be more difficult, according to Marine Corps Reserve Staff Sergeant Patrick Lurenz.

Since an astronaut — “someone not even on this planet” — voted, Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy said there is no excuse not to vote.

“I’m scared as hell,” said Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy. “Thanksgiving is around the corner.”

Richard Glover, a neighbor of Picard’s Grove, working with the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy, purchased the 87-acre property for $665,000.

Albany County continues to experience an uptick in COVID-19 cases with 32 new cases reported on Saturday morning.