“You take the vaccine to save our grandmothers, and our grandfathers, and our children. You take a vaccine to make our city safe, our nation, and our state safe,” said Reverend Dr. Franklyn Richardson, pastor of Grace Baptist Church.

There is evidence to suggest that some of the mutations in the P.1 variant may affect its transmissibility and antigenic profile, the CDC says, which may affect the ability of antibodies generated through a previous natural infection or through vaccination to recognize and neutralize the virus.

While few small businesses report that revenues are growing, most are no longer seeing declines: only 27 percent reported declines in the first week of March while 65 percent reported no change.

“If you are, care for, or are aware of a homebound person, please send an email, with contact information, to or call EMS’s vaccine program at 518-579-3737 for more information about eligibility and appointments …,” Guilderland Supervisor Peter Barber wrote in an email.

Albany County’s unemployment rate for January 2021 was 6.0 percent. The rate for the Albany-Schenectady-Troy area was the same: 6.0 percent, up from 3.9 percent in January 2020 before the pandemic hit. Albany County had roughly 147,400 jobs in January 2021 compared to roughly 151,000 the year before, a decrease of 3.7 percent.

Albany County, with a population of roughly 300,000, has about 31,000 people who are considered food insecure.

The agreement between Crossgates and Guilderland would limit “the review, copying, dissemination, and filing of confidential and/or proprietary documents and information to be produced by either party and their respective counsel.”

Guilderland’s Emergency Medical Services Department ambulances transported 61 COVID-19 town residents in January and 19 residents in February, Supervisor Peter Barber reported, but has transported only two residents so far in March.

Currently 27.5 percent of Albany County’s residents have received at least one shot of vaccine, according to the state’s vaccine tracker. A total of 84,459 residents have received one shot while 43,087 have received two shots.

While the county’s health department with its many medical corps volunteers will continue to run its large point of dispensing, or POD, at the Times Union Center in Albany, Albany County Health Commissioner Elizabeth Whalen said, she looks forward to re-allocating some of the county’s supply to “small break-out clinics.”