After consulting with global experts and local governments, the state’s COVID Task Force developed five strategies to combat COVID-19 this winter as cases across the nation increase due to holiday travel, shopping, and gathering as well as cold weather, keeping people indoors.

“We’re probably going to pass yellow, people, and go right to orange at the rate we’re headed,” said Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy on Monday.

A fourth and fifth case of COVID-19 within a week were announced on Monday by the Guilderland Central School District. This makes 20 cases for the district so far this school year.
 

Areas are designated as yellow zones if, for 10  consecutive days, they have an infection rate, calculated as a seven-day rolling average, of 3-percent or greater. The state’s dashboard says that on Nov. 20, 21, and 22, Albany County had a seven-day rolling average of 3.1 percent followed by an average of 3.0 percent on Nov. 23, 24, and 25. Further, the state reports a seven-day rolling average of 3.6 percent on Nov. 26, of 3.5 percent on Nov. 27, and of 3.8 percent on Nov. 28. 

GUILDERLAND — Guilderland schools have two more cases of COVID-19, according to an email Superintendent Marie Wiles sent Saturday evening to families in the district.

A reconciliation of data with Albany Medical Center and St. Peter’s Hospital found 18 new Albany County residents are hospitalized with COVID-19, increasing the total of current hospitalizations to 61. Twelve of the 18 cases were newly admitted to the hospital on or after Nov. 25.

GUILDERLAND — A second COVID-19 case at Lynnwood Elementary School was announced this evening, Nov. 27, in an email Superintendent Marie Wiles sent to Guilderland Central School District families.

This makes a total of 16 confirmed cases for the district so far this school year.

Part of the state’s winer plan for dealing with COVID-19 is keeping schools serving kindergarten through eighth grade open. The infection rate in those grades, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Wednesday, “is generally lower than the local community, so you want children in school because it’s safer, not to mention they’re getting an education, their parents can go to work, et cetera.”

Two more county residents have died of COVID-19 and the county is in its fourth of 10 consecutive days of meeting a threshold that would declare it a precautionary yellow zone.

On Tuesday, Albany County was on Day Three of 10 with COVID infection-rate numbers that would have it declared a yellow zone.