Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy announced today with County Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Elizabeth Whalen that as of this morning, there are now 574 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Albany County. Additionally, there are now 716 people under mandatory quarantine and 49 people under precautionary quarantine. A total of 1,448 people have completed quarantine, with 301 of them who had tested positive for the virus and recovered. The death toll due to the Novel Coronavirus for the county still stands at twenty.

With 34 people now hospitalized, the hospitalization rate for Albany County stands at 5.92%, up slightly from yesterday’s rate of 5.68%. Six of those individuals are now in Intensive Care Units (ICU), a drop of two since yesterday. Shaker Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center has had 13 residents in total who have tested positive and 5 employees, one who has recovered and returned to work.

“The health and safety of our residents at Shaker Place are our top priorities,” said County Executive McCoy. “We put protocols in place from the start to protect our most vulnerable population. We have dedicated healthcare workers providing exceptional care to our residents during this unprecedented time and I thank them for all they are doing.”

Stephen Acquario, Executive Director of the New York State Association of Counties (NYSAC) joined the County Executive to discuss how sales tax revenues are being affected by the mass-scale economic shutdown implemented to stem the spread of the Novel Coronavirus.

“As President of both the New York State County Executives Association of NYSAC and the County Executives of America, I’ve been fighting for Albany County’s fair share from the federal government to help us respond to COVID-19. Ultimately, this is a national issue, and that’s why the next stimulus package needs to prioritize counties across the US who are on the frontlines of this pandemic,” said County Executive McCoy. 

“The serious economic impacts of the virus are already clear, and we’re not out of the woods yet. Reports show a 25% drop in consumer spending in the largest business sectors, including retail and hotel stays, that we need for vital programs and services. That could mean up to $2 billion of lost sales tax revenue for counties across the state,” he continued.

County Executive McCoy also highlighted the walk-up mobile testing for COVID-19 that began yesterday is up and running at the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Center at 920 Lark Drive, Albany. It will continue to be available from 9am to 4pm, Monday through Friday. Three other sites – Bleecker Terrace Apartments, Capital South Campus Center and the Watervliet Health Center—will be on a rotating basis. Schedule for locations and times will be on our website. All testing is done by appointment only and after being screened for symptoms over the phone by calling the Whitney Young, Jr. Health Center at (518) 465-4771.

The County Executive also took time to thank the students and faculty at the University at Albany’s Departments of Electrical and Computer Engineering and the College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity for the donation of face shields made with 3D printers. He also thanked Feed Albany and Savoy Taproom for providing meals to staff at Shaker Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center recently. 

County Executive McCoy also shared the efforts of staff at Shaker Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in the 518 Rainbow Hunt.

For those who are experiencing stress, anxiety or even depression during the ongoing COVID-19 crisis, the County Mental Health Support Line is available seven days a week from 8am to 8pm at (518) 269-6634. The County Executive is also offering videos on coping, crafts and reading, AAU karate, exercise and more. Anyone experiencing a psychiatric emergency should still call the Albany County Mobile Crisis Team at (518) 549–6500.

Daily briefings are recorded and may be seen with slides on AlbanyCounty.com, the County’s Facebook page, public access channels—Open Stage Media in Schenectady and Channel Albany in the city of Albany and on Capitol OTB—Channel 1250 Spectrum and Channel 467 on Fios.

For all COVID-19 questions and concerns, including issues with price gouging and fraudulent products, residents are encouraged to use United Way’s 2-1-1 hotline as well as the State Department of Health’s hotline at 888-364-3065.