The president of Albany Medical Center, Dennis McKenna, estimates Albany Med has two to three days left of testing kits for COVID-19. “We are dependent on availability of tests,” he said. “If kits are in short supply, they will be kept for patients in-house or the population most at risk.”

“It will be a question of triage,” the governor said when coronavirus peaks in New York and the state has less than half of the hospital beds needed.

A 7-year-old is among the 10 newly confirmed cases of coronavirus disease, bringing Albany County’s total to 25, County Executive Daniel McCoy announced at this morning’s press conference.

The financial crippling that is spreading along with the coronavirus has led the state to suspend debt collection for at least 30 days, starting today.

A bill guaranteeing job protection and pay for New Yorkers quarantined because of the coronavirus has been agreed upon by State Senate and Assembly leaders, the governor announced today.

“We are estimated to be nine to 10 days behind Italy. Please look at what’s going on there,” said Albany County Health Commissioner Elizabeth Whalen. “What we do right now as a community in terms of limiting social interaction can blunt the curve and help our hospital capacity and our capacity to care for those that are ill.”

On March 8, Gary Greenberg called for a change in petitioning after a Guilderland woman, an American citizen of Chinese descent who was circulating his nominating periton, was verbally assaulted.

Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy made a call for volunteers to staff phone lines to keep the county’s health department from being “bogged down” as it maps and tracks the people that those with confirmed cases have come into contact with. “We can use volunteers to answer phones,” McCoy said. “We can train you in ten, fifteen minutes.”

Either a student or staff member with a confirmed case of COVID-19 would trigger a school closing.

Describing the mood at school today, Superintendent Marie Wiles said, “People are worried and you can feel the anxiety build as this moves closer and closer to our community.”

Wiles said it was “horrible” to have to tell the students who had rehearsed for the "Chicago" musical for months that, on what was scheduled to be opening night, the show would not go on.

“They were heartbroken and upset,” she said, “which is understandable.”

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