Governor Kathy Hochul’s initiatives were embraced immediately by Albany County’s executive, by the state’s largest teachers’ union, and by the state’s health commissioner.

“While millions of people have already safely received COVID-19 vaccines, we recognize that for some, the FDA approval of a vaccine may now instill additional confidence to get vaccinated,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock, in a release announcing the approval.

“Even though our vaccines are currently working well to prevent hospitalizations, we are seeing concerning evidence of waning vaccine effectiveness over time and against the Delta variant,” said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky of the need for booster shots.

It is not clear if people who suffer breakthrough infections, like the 12 hospitalized Albany County patients, all of whom were fully vaccinated, can also suffer from what is known as long COVID — a condition that persits sometimes for months after the initial bout of infection.

More than a quarter of the state’s health-care workers are not vaccinated against COVID-19, They will need to be vaccinated by Sept. 27, the governor announced today.

The “productivity target” for a commuter route, like Route 719, which had served Voorheesville and Altamont, is over 12 riders per hour, said Ross Farrell, director of planning for the Capital District Transportation Authority. Of 50 bus routes, Route 719 was in the bottom five, with just six or seven riders per hour, he said.

The researchers note this consistent pattern: “COVID-19 misperceptions and uncertainty seem to be linked to vaccination status.”

“The overall goals for the 2021-2022 school year are to keep students and staff healthy and safe, be responsive to student needs, and maximize in-person teaching and learning,” says the guide from the State Education Department.

The science surrounding a new virus is, of course, ever-evolving, which is why the expertise of a health department is needed as a trusted authority. Misinformation fills the vacuum.

Well over a third of the county residents infected with COVID-19 between Aug. 2 and 6 were vaccinated against the virus.