ALBANY COUNTY — The Enterprise is printing another obituary this week of a person who died of COVID-19 but whose family was unaware of a program run by the federal government to partially cover funeral expenses.

Under the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act of 2021 and the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is providing financial assistance for COVID-related funeral expenses incurred on or after Jan. 20, 2020.

Those who are planning funerals or have already paid for funerals for victims of COVID-19 can call the toll-free COVID-19 Funeral Assistance Helpline at 844-684-6333, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. to complete a COVID-19 Funeral Assistance application with a FEMA representative. Multilingual services are available.

Information is also available online at FEMA.gov/funeral-assistance/faq.

Individuals may receive a maximum of $9,000 per deceased individual and a maximum of $35,500 per application, if they incurred funeral expenses for multiple deceased individuals.

The death certificate must attribute the death to COVID-19. If the death occurred between Jan. 20 and May 16, 2020, and the death certificate doesn’t attribute the death to COVID-19, the applicant can submit a signed statement from the medical official who certified the death certificate, or the local coroner or medical examiner, linking the cause of death to COVID-19

Examples of eligible expenses may include, but are not limited to: transportation to identify the deceased individual, the transfer of remains, a burial plot or cremation niche, a marker or headstone, caskets or urns, clergy or officiant services, the use of funeral home equipment or staff, and cremation or interment costs.

To be eligible for assistance, the death must have occurred in the United States and the applicant must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national, or qualified alien who incurred funeral expenses.

There is no requirement for the deceased person to have been a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or qualified alien.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has brought overwhelming grief to many. At FEMA, our mission is to help people before, during and after disasters. We are dedicated to helping ease some of the financial stress and burden caused by the virus,” says the FEMA website, which also has videos explaining the application process.

Preventative drug

New York Times journalist David Leonhardt on Monday featured in his daily newsletter information on Evosheld, an AstraZeneca drug given emergency use authorization in December by the Food and Drug Administration.

The drug is meant to be an additional layer of protection in addition to vaccination to prevent COVID-19 in immunocompromised people.

“Vaccines have proven to be the best defense available against COVID-19. However, there are certain immune compromised individuals who may not mount an adequate immune response to COVID-19 vaccination, or those who have a history of severe adverse reactions to a COVID-19 vaccine and therefore cannot receive one and need an alternative prevention option,” said Patrizia Cavazzoni, M.D., director of the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research, in a statement on Dec. 8 when the authorization was announced.

Leonhardt reported that, while the Biden administration bought 1.7 million doses, many people don’t know the drug exists, if they’re eligible, and how to get a shot.

He provided a link created, in the absence of official information, by an engineer whose wife has cancer. The nationwide list shows Albany County as having four medical centers that have gotten Evusheld although the last deliveries were no later than early February:

— Albany Medical Center Hospital at 43 New Scotland Ave. is listed as having 240 allotted doses with 166 available; 

— Capital Region Rx LLC at 431 New Karner Road is listed as having 24 allotted doses with 24 available;  

— St. Peter’s Hospital at 315 South Manning Blvd. is listed as having 72 allotted doses with 72 available; and 

— Samaritan Hospital at 600 Northern Blvd. is listed as having 72 allotted doses with 69 available.

“The confusion around Evusheld is another example of how the fragmented U.S. health care system harms people,” Leonhardt wrote. 

Newest numbers

With another death reported on Sunday by Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy, the county’s COVID-19 death toll now stands at 525.

However, the number of new cases continues to decline with McCoy reporting 62 new cases on Monday morning, bringing the county’s seven-day average of daily cases down to 103.4.

The county’s seven-day average for cases per 100,000 of population is down to 27.5 and its infection rate is at 5.2 percent.

There were four new hospitalizations since Sunday with 55 county residents now hospitalized with COVID-19. Seven of the hospitalized patients are in intensive-care units, down from 14 on Sunday.

“The last time overall COVID hospitalizations were this low was back on December 26,” said McCoy in the release.

“It’s important to remember that on January 10, Albany County’s seven-day average percent positivity peaked at an estimated one in five people testing positive, and now we’re down to just over 5 percent,” McCoy went on. “As we continue to see COVID infections decline, we should also see fewer and fewer people being hospitalized with the virus. I want to thank everyone for doing their part and helping us get to this point, including those who continue to get vaccinated and get their booster shots.”

 As of yesterday, 80.8 percent of all Albany County residents have received at least the first dose of the vaccine, and 73.4 percent are now fully vaccinated.