Albany County loses its 136th resident to COVID-19

ALBANY COUNTY — Another Albany County resident — a woman in her seventies — died of COVID-19, on Friday, the county’s executive, Daniel McCoy, announced on Saturday morning.

Her death brings the county’s death toll from the coronavirus 2019 disease to 136.

McCoy also announced 14 new cases of COVID-19 since Friday, bringing the county’s tally to 3,165.

Of the new cases, nine had close contact with someone infected with the disease, one is a healthcare worker or resident of a congregate setting, and four did not have a clear source of transmission detected at this time.

Separately, four of the 14 new cases are associated with the University at Albany.

One-thousand county residents are now under quarantine, up three from Friday.

The five-day average for new daily positives increased to 20.4 from 20.2.

There are now 112 active cases in the county, down from 128 yesterday.

So far, 13,567 Albany County residents have completed quarantine. Of those, 3,053 tested positive and recovered.

Three new patients were hospitalized overnight, bringing the number of hospitalized county residents to seven with one patient in an intensive-care unit. The county’s hospitalization rate remains at 0.22 percent.

The county also sent out a notice on Saturday, stating, “The Albany County Department of Health has been flooded with calls from people asking about the COVID-19 investigation associated with DePaula Chevrolet at 785 Central Avenue, Albany.”

While department staff members are trying to reach everyone on Saturday, they “may not be able to because of the high volume,” the notice said.

On Friday, the health department advised people who visited the dealership between Sept. 20 and the present and had concerns about potential exposure to call the department at 518-447-4659.

Saturday’s notice stressed that people are not advised to quarantine unless they have been contacted by the health department and are advised to do so. People who are concerned about symptoms, even if minor, or exposure, could consider testing at locations listed on the county’s website, the notice said.

Also on Saturday, Governor Andrew Cuomo reported on his Cluster Action Initiative, which has identified hotspots for coronavirus outbreaks, labeling “red zones,” largely in Orange and Rockland counties and in Brooklyn and Queens in New York City.

The state has mapped the zones on its website; users can type in addresses to find out if they are in or near one of the zones.

Cuomo reported that the positivity rates for the red zones from Friday’s test results was 4.95 percent.

The red zones, he noted, are home to 2.8 percent of the state’s population yet account for 18 percent of all positive cases.

The state’s positivity rate, without the red zones, is 0.96 percent. With the red zones included, the statewide rate is 1.07 percent.

Based on Friday’s test results, the Capital Region, of which Albany County is a part, had a rate of 0.4 percent — the second lowest rate in the state.

The lowest, as usual, was the North Country, with a rate of 0.2 percent.

Half of the state’s 120 regions had a rate of 1 percent or higher. The highest was Mid-Hudson — home to Rockland and Orange counties — with a rate of 1.5 percent.

More Regional News

  • Joseph Slichko wants to highlight the work of both students and staff at the Capital Region BOCES

  • Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy announced on Friday that he and the Albany County Legislature had approved “an intermunicipal agreement to create the Albany County Healthcare Consortium.” But this is just the first step needed for six municipalities and three school districts that are considering being part of the consortium if, indeed, the costs turn out to be lower. McCoy is pictured here at Voorheesville’s Ruck March on Nov. 10.

  • Farmers can apply for funds to invest in infrastructure, equipment, and the adoption of “state-of-the-art practices,” the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets says.

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