Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy held a briefing today to report on the county’s efforts to administer the COVID vaccine and control the spread of the Coronavirus. As of yesterday, 50.4% of Albany County’s population has received at least the first dose, and 36.3% has been fully vaccinated. That compares to the statewide first dose vaccination rate of 43%, and full vaccination rate of 29.7%. To date, Albany County has administered or reallocated 53,564 first and second doses of the COVID vaccine. The County alone has now administered 33,839 of those doses through POD’s at the Times Union Center and the Albany Capital Center.

The County Executive announced that the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Albany County has now climbed to 23,618 to date, an increase of 41 new positive cases since yesterday. The five-day average for new daily positives decreased from 58.6 to 52.8. Please note that our overall case count will fluctuate as CommCare records are transferred in and out of the county. Albany County’s most recent seven-day average of percent positive rates is now at 2.9%, and the Capital Region’s is now at 2.1%.

“Despite making more than 1,200 first doses of the Pfizer vaccine available for our Times Union Center POD yesterday, unfortunately we were only able to get 319 residents to fill the appointments, including 56 walk-ins. It’s clear we’re hitting a wall, which is why we’re shifting our resources to more community based pop-up clinics, and we’re also launching a new Instagram challenge, ‘#IGotMine,’ encouraging our younger adults to get the shot and spread the message of why they got it by posting it with the hashtag,” said County Executive McCoy.

The Instagram challenge launch video can be found at the link here.

Among the new cases of Coronavirus, 30 had close contact with positive cases, 10 did not have clear sources of infection at this time, and one is a healthcare worker or resident of a congregate living setting. There are now 483 active cases in the county, down from 498 yesterday. The number of people under mandatory quarantine decreased to 1,159 from 1,215. So far, 75,840 people have completed quarantine. Of those who completed quarantine, 23,135 of them had tested positive and recovered. That is an increase of 56 recoveries since yesterday.

County Executive McCoy reported that there were three new hospitalizations overnight and there are still 20 county residents hospitalized from the virus. There are currently five patients in ICU’s, down from six yesterday. There are no new COVID-related deaths to report and the death toll for Albany County still stands at 374 since the outbreak began. In honor of Earth Week, the County Executive announced the winner of the county’s Reusable Bag Design Contest for third through fifth grade students and unveiled the county’s first ever fully electric mower (both are pictured below). 

“Protecting our natural resources can’t be reserved for a single day or week. However, this was an important opportunity to raise awareness for the need to convert to reusable shopping bags, while also sparking interest in these values in the younger generation who will soon be responsible for taking on the work of environmental protection. There were so many great submissions, but Kylie McGuiness is our winner with her design and slogan, ‘Love, Protect and Reuse.’ Congratulations!” County Executive McCoy continued. 

For winning, Kylie’s design and slogan will be printed on thousands of reusable bags that will be distributed by Albany County throughout the community. Additionally, Kylie and her third grade class at A.W. Becker Elementary from the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk School District will be getting a pizza party, courtesy of the county.

Vaccine doses reallocated by Albany County will be administered today and this weekend in Green Island and Cohoes in collaboration with Assembly Member John McDonald and Marra’s Pharmacy; at Shaker High School through a partnership with Colonie EMS; at the Macedonia Baptist Church with Mohawk Ambulance Service; and finally, at the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk School District thanks to Jay Patel and Crestwood Pharmacy.

For those who would like additional information on vaccinations and vaccination clinics organized by Albany County, please use the link here. Those who would like to pre-register for a vaccination through the county’s pre-registration tool, should use the link here. Residents who want to sign up for a shot at a state-run facility should use the state's website at the link here or call the state vaccine hotline at 1-833-697-4829. Walk-ins are welcome at state-run facilities for those who are at least 60 years old. For general information on the vaccine, residents can also dial the United Way of the Greater Capital Region’s 2-1-1 hotline.

Walmart pharmacy locations in Albany and Glenmont and the Sam’s Club in Latham are offering appointments for the Pfizer vaccine. Other Capital Region vaccination locations are in Troy, Schenectady, East Greenbush, Clifton Park, Amsterdam and Catskill. Anyone over 16 years old is now eligible. To make an appointment, please use the online registration at the link here.

Community-wide free testing continues on the University at Albany (SUNY) campus by appointment only for those with or without symptoms. Appointments may be made by calling the NYS hotline at 888-364-3065 or by visiting the State Department of Health website.
 
County Executive McCoy continues to highlight the testing site in Albany County at Priority 1 Urgent Care, which also provides antibody testing, located in Hamilton Square at 2080 Western Avenue in Guilderland. Testing will only be provided after appointments are made and after patients come in to be screened for expanded CDC symptoms. To schedule an appointment, you can call (518) 867-8040.
 
The County Executive also encourages those who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms to register for the drive-thru community testing site at Rite Aid, 1863 Central Avenue in Colonie. Testing is free for those who are eligible based on CDC guidelines and are at least 18 years old. It’s available between 9am and 5pm, seven days a week by appointment only. Registration is available at their website at the link here. Tests will be conducted from within an individual’s car with self-swab nasal tests and with the help of a pharmacist.
 
Walgreens is operating a testing facility at the 41 Holland Avenue location utilizing a self-collection model. Residents will be able to remain in their cars while assisted by pharmacists when necessary. Based on Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines, individuals who are 18 years or older may be tested once completing an eligibility assessment at the Walgreens website or at their app. Patients can get their results from PWNHealth.
 
Price Chopper/Market 32 is piloting a free COVID-19 test program at three of its New York drive-thru pharmacies. Customers can register for a test at the website here and they will get a voucher to go to one of the testing sites on a specific date. Local participating pharmacies are in Latham, Clifton Park and Johnstown. Testing is on Tuesdays from 7am to 9am. Customers won’t leave their car and will administer the test themselves with guidance from a pharmacist. Results will be provided by eTrueNorth.
 
CVS is offering drive-thru testing at select stores. You must register online for an appointment. To do that and find locations offering the drive-thru testing, go to the CVS website.
 
Central Med Urgent Care, 1662 Central Avenue, Colonie offers the rapid antigen test, lab-based PCR and antibody testing. No appointment is required but you can call 518-240-1456 if you would like to make an appointment. Testing is available for children.

For the all latest data on COVID testing and results, you can refer to the Albany County COVID-19 Data Dashboard, as well as the New York State Department of Health COVID-19 Tracker.
 
For those experiencing stress, anxiety or depression during the ongoing pandemic, the Albany County Mental Health Support Line is available seven days a week, from 8am to 5pm at (518) 269-6634. Anyone experiencing a psychiatric emergency should still call the Albany County Mobile Crisis Team at (518) 549–6500. The 24-hour sexual assault hotline number is (518) 447-7716, and the free and confidential online text chat feature can be found at the link here.