ALBANY COUNTY — Elizabeth Whalen, Albany County’s health commissioner, said at Tuesday’s press briefing that her department has heard from area hospitals that the number of visits they are receiving for heart attacks, strokes, and other emergencies are “not what they normally are.”

“The more testing availability we have, the more valid the data is,” Elizabeth Whalen, Albany County’s health commissioner. As she launched the Data Dashboard about the coronavirus, posted to the county’s website. She also said that data becomes more meaningful over time.

Rite-Aid pharmacists will conduct the COVID-19 tests at the new site in Colonie, handing people who drive through a swab they will use for a nasal test; results will be reported through email or by phone. The site is expected to perform about 200 tests per day.

ALBANY COUNTY — Congressman Paul Tonko does not think that local and state governments will receive federal aid as part of the “interim model” currently being hashed out in Congress, but he is hopeful the fourth round of coronavirus aid will include those funds.

In announcing confirmed cases at daily briefings, Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy gives just the number of cases not the location of the residents who were infected. “We wanted people to know it was all around us,” he said. McCoy also said the county hopes to post data on its website this week.

“The concerns that lead to using more drugs and alcohol or potentially relapsing if you’re in recovery or even overdosing are present all together right now and posing enormous challenges to folks that are struggling with addiction,” says Stephen Giordano, Ph.D., director of the Albany County Department of Mental Health.

Feed Albany and the South End Children’s Café are accepting donations to provide food for those who need it in the midst of the pandemic.

“We are not in any way, shape, or form in a downward trend at this point,” says Albany County Health Commissioner Elizabeth Whalen as confirmed cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in the county.

“We’re  going to go through a time where we’re going to be seriously economically hurt, disadvantaged, and we need to continue to provide the services …,” said Stephen Acquario, executive director of the New York State Association of Counties.

Outbreaks of COVID-19 in nursing homes are not the result of inattentiveness or a shortcoming in facilities, according to Stephen Hanse, president and chief executive officer of the New York State Health Facilities Association and the New York State Center for Assisted Living. “The very nature of long-term care is a high-touch environment where social distancing is not an option. Staff are helping residents with bathing, dressing, eating, and other personal daily needs,” he said.