On Monday, the same day the first shots were given, Governor Andrew Cuomo did not discount an entire shutdown of the state if numbers don’t improve. “If we do not change the trajectory, we could very well be headed to shutdown,” he said.

Albany County’s health commissioner, Elizabeth Whalen, reiterated that residents, while they wait to hear from health-department staff, can consult the department’s website for guidance on isolation if they have tested positive for COVID-19 and on quarantine if they have been exposed to someone with the disease.

GUILDERLAND — Guilderland students in eighth through 12th grades will learn from home through the Christmas break, the school district announced on Tuesday.

The break begins on Wednesday, Dec. 23.

GUILDERLAND — On Monday evening, Guilderland High School Principal Michael Piscitelli sent an email to “GHS Families” to say that the school has four new cases of COVID-19.

The first vaccines for COVID-19 were administered on Monday, including locally to high-risk health-care workers at Albany Medical Center.

In Albany County, 198 new COVID-19 cases were announced on Saturday with another 173 announced on Sunday.

ALBANY COUNTY — On Friday, Governor Andrew Cuomo released much anticipated guidance for the new metrics that will define micro-cluster zones as part of his winter plan to combat COVID-19.

The data will be calculated using the new metrics over the weekend, he said, and any new zones will be announced on Monday.

ALBANY COUNTY — Workers at the county’s airport started being tested on Friday for COVID-19 using saliva swabs. By the end of the month, the airport hopes to offer the test to travelers, too, a spokesman said.

The Guilderland Central School District is asking parents for permission to test their children for COVID-19 should the state require it.

As many small businesses, hit hard by COVID-19 and restrictions to prevent its spread, struggle to make lease payments, a new program may help.