ALBANY COUNTY — For the sixth week in a row, Albany County is labeled as having a “medium” community level of COVID-19.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention labels most of the state’s 62 counties as having a “low” community level with the notable exception of New York City, Long Island and Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam counties, all labeled “high.”

Altogether, 16 counties are labeled “medium,” meaning people who test positive for COVID-19, who are symptomatic, or who have been exposed to the virus should wear masks as well as those traveling on public transportation.

While most of the counties in New York and New England remain “low,” having experienced the surge caused by the Omicron subvariant BA.5 ahead of the rest of the nation, now 42 percent of the nation’s counties are designated “high” and 39 percent are designated “medium” while just 19 percent are designated “low.”

The vast majority of new cases are caused by BA.5 — close to 87 percent in the area that includes New York and New Jersey.

This week, Albany County’s 126th of coping with the coronavirus, the governor’s office reported three virus-related deaths — one each on Aug. 4, 5, and 9 — in Albany County. This would bring Albany County’s COVID-19 death toll to 579 although, as of Tuesday, the county’s dashboard showed 578.

“As we continue to prepare for potential COVID-19 surges this fall, New Yorkers must also make their own preparations and take advantage of the tools and resources at our disposal to keep themselves and their loved ones healthy,” Governor Kathy Hochul said in her Tuesday press release.

“I encourage New Yorkers who are not up to date on their vaccine and booster doses to get caught up immediately,” she said. “Test early and frequently, and if you do test positive, talk to your doctor about potential treatment.”

Albany County’s vaccination rate remains stubbornly where it has been for months — a quarter of county residents have not completed a vaccination series. Statewide, 78 percent of New Yorkers have completed a vaccination series.

Of Albany County residents eligible for a booster shot, 61.7 percent have received them.

Vaccination provides the best protection against hospitalization.

Twenty-nine Albany County residents with COVID-19 were hospitalized on Aug. 9. That day, the governor’s office reported that 42 percent of Capital Region patients hospitalized with COVID were not admitted because of the virus.

During the Omicron surge in January, hospitalizations of Albany County residents peaked at 120. During an echo surge from Omicron subvariants in May, up to 47 county residents were hospitalized as a seven-day average.

Although figures on infection rates are no longer reliable since tracing and tracking systems have been disbanded, the state dashboard shows that Albany County, as a seven-day average, now has 21.8 cases per 100,000 of population.

This compares with 30.03 cases statewide. The lowest rate is in the Finger Lakes at 12.92 per 100,000 while the highest is on Long Island at 34.66 per 100,000.

At a press conference on Aug. 3, Hochul reiterated her fall action plan goals of  “getting 3 million test kits into schools, which we think is good looking forward because every child needs to be in school this fall, and we have to keep them safe.”

She again stressed the importance of in-person schooling and said the state is working to increase its stockpile of personal protective equipment.

“Our PPE stockpile, again, with foreign supply chains that have only worsened since the pandemic, we are also building up our reserves,” said Hochul, “as well as promoting boosters, vaccines, testing and treatments.”

Bonuses for health-care workers

The Health Care and Mental Hygiene Worker Bonus program was launched this week.

The program includes $1.3 billion for recruitment and retention bonuses to certain health-care and mental-hygiene workers, part of Hochul’s plan to increase the state’s health-care workforce by 20 percent over the next five years.

Bonuses will be awarded to eligible workers who make less than $125,000 annually and remain in their positions for at least six months. Disbursements will be commensurate with the number of hours worked and duration of service within designated vesting periods for up to a total of $3,000 per employee.

“Throughout the pandemic, including the early days when many were hunkered down at home, our health-care workers and first responders have shown up day after day to keep New Yorkers healthy and save lives,” said Hocul in a statement announcing the program. “Health care workers are the foundation of our medical system, and we need to acknowledge the sacrifices they have made to bring us through these challenging times.”

Employers eligible for the program include providers participating in Medicaid with at least one employee, and other providers, facilities, pharmacies and school-based health centers licensed under the state Public Health Law, Mental Hygiene Law, and Education Law, as well as certain programs funded by the Office of Mental Health, Office for the Aging, Office of Addiction Services and Supports, the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, and the Office of Children and Family Services.

Eligible employees provide hands-on health care services and can include certain frontline health-care and mental-hygiene practitioners, technicians, assistants, support staff, and aids. They must be receiving an annualized base salary (excluding any bonuses or overtime pay) of $125,000 or less, and can be full-time, part-time, or temporary.

State employees who meet the eligibility requirements for the program will be eligible to receive the bonus payments, just as eligible employees who work outside of state government will be. Such employees will be paid through existing State payroll systems.

A qualified employee can receive up to a maximum of $3,000 in total bonus payments over two vesting periods.   

Eligible employers can submit employees who qualify for payments by creating an account at www.nysworkerbonus.com. The health care worker bonus portal will open for education sector employers in October.

Scholarships for nurses

Also this week, nearly 1,000 new future nurses were announced as part of the ongoing efforts to bolster the state’s health-care workforce.

Winners of the “Nurses for Our Future: Scholarship Program” will receive tuition to earn an associate’s degree in nursing or a bachelor of science degree in nursing at a two-year or four-year state college or university.

To be part of the drawing, participants completed an online entry. 

Student awardees will be able to complete their programs with a flexible schedule, either part-time or full-time. Scholarships will cover the actual tuition charged by the public college or university for four full-time semesters. Awards will be prorated for recipients attending less than full-time.

“We invested over $15 million of our COVID money. We had people selected by a lottery …,” said Hochul at her Aug. 3 press conference. “Sixty-three-thousand people applied for 1,000 slots.”

Hochul said that showed a demand for nursing scholarships and she’d like to “get that done on an ongoing basis.”

Over 98 percent of the applicants were from New York State.

“We wanted to bring people in from other states as well to get them to move here,” said Hochul. “And over 400 of these winners will be right in the New York City area …. And really when they get their degree, they’ll commit to stay with us for over two years. And so hopefully, they’ll build their lives right here in the State of New York.”

Currently, Hochul said, that there are about 9,300 openings for nurses and other health-care workers across the state. “And it’s really … important for us to recruit the next generation of workers,” she said.

Workers’ comp

The Workers’ Compensation Board continues its webinar series for workers who believe they contracted COVID-19 on the job, especially those who have missed time from work or are suffering from ongoing or “long-haul” symptoms.

Each one-hour session provides information on workers’ rights when it comes to filing a workers’ compensation claim and the cash and/or medical benefits they may be eligible to receive.

While the online sessions are targeted toward workers who have lost time from work, have ongoing medical problems and/or fall into the category of “long haulers,” the information is relevant to anyone who believes they may have contracted COVID-19 due to an exposure at work.

Workers have two years from the time they contracted COVID-19 to file a claim.

Registration is not required.Upcoming sessions are on Wednesdays, Sept. 28 and Oct. 12, each from noon to 1 p.m