“Stay home to protect yourself. Stay home to protect your family. Stay home to protect the community,” said Albany County Health Commissioner Elizabeth Whalen on Christmas Eve. “Every single one of us has individual responsibility.”

As COVID-19 cases surge, regional hospitals, which are in daily contact, agreed on Monday to reduce non-urgent surgeries that require a hospital stay.

These local students were named to the dean’s list from Colgate University for the spring 2020 semester:

— Erica Friedman of Delmar, majoring in psychological science who graduated from Bethlehem Central High School with a grade point average of 3.6 and higher;

These local students were named to the dean’s list from their college or university for the fall 2020 semester:

— Koal Kornfield of Altamont, at Belmont University with a grade point average of 3.5 and higher;

— Alexis Anagnostopulos of Altamont, at Nazareth College with a grade point average of 3.5 nd higher;

On Tuesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo said that Wadsworth Laboratory in Albany is doing research to see if a new, highly-contagious strain of COVID-19, recently discovered in the United Kingdom, has already found its way here.

As COVID-19 cases surge, regional hospitals, which are in daily contact, agreed on Monday to reduce non-urgent surgeries that require a hospital stay.

When state funds are lacking, Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy said at his Monday morning press briefing, “They have a habit of pushing that down to us on the county level. We have to be wary of that. It’s going to affect our programs.”

“Our numbers are going through the roof …,” Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy said on Monday. “January’s going to be rough … It’s scary.”

Of the county nursing home’s 170 residents, 150 so far have agreed to get COVID-19 vaccinations. Only half of the home’s 200 workers have agreed.