On Monday, the National Governors Association, which is chaired by Andrew Cuomo, sent a letter to President Joe Biden, asking for better coordination between and more clarity on state and federal COVID-19 vaccina

The South African strain of COVID-19, known as B.1.351, was first confirmed in the United States on Jan. 28 in South Carolina. According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention webpage that tracks three variant strains, as of Monday evening, there were a total of 17 cases of B.1.351 across eight states.

More than half of the grants are going to minority-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, and veteran-owned businesses, said Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy.

Given the continued decline in hospitalization and infection rates throughout New York State, Governor Andrew Cuomo on Sunday signed an executive order extending closing times from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. for bars, restaurants, gyms and fitness centers, casinos, and billiards halls, as well as other establishments licensed by the State Liquor Authority.

Eleven more cases of the B.1.1.7 variant of COVID-19 — the highly transmissible variant first identified in the United Kingdom — have been identified in New York State, bringing the state’s total to 70.

Last May, men accounted for 43 percent of COVID-19 deaths in Albany County while women accounted for 47 percent. “It’s flipped since springtime,” said County Executive Daniel McCoy. Now, women account for more than 54 percent of deaths and men for less than 46 percent.

When the first Shaker Place resident died of COVID-19, Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy said, he was faced with a choice of reporting it or not. He said he had learned from being at war, “It eventually comes out.”

ALBANY COUNTY — Albany County — including the municipal governments within its boundaries — is slated to get $173,960,989 under the 2021 Fiscal Reconciliation Act currently moving through Congress.

The number of overdoses in Albany County for 2020 represents a 68-percent increase from the annual average over the last five years. Fentanyl — a synthetic opioid pain reliever that is increasingly illicitly manufactured — was present in 88 percent of all county opioid overdoses last year. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new guidance on effective mask-wearing and also releasing fully vaccinated people from quarantine restrictions.