Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy announced today that as of this morning, there are now 1,026 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Albany County. Additionally, there are now 853 people under mandatory quarantine and 24 people under precautionary quarantine. To date, 2,209 individuals have completed quarantine, with 527 of them having tested positive and recovered. County Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Elizabeth Whalen joined him for the daily briefing.

With 37 people now hospitalized, the hospitalization rate for Albany County stands at 3.6%, down from yesterday’s rate of 4.46%. Eight of those individuals are currently in Intensive Care Units (ICU), a decrease of two since yesterday. Overnight, there have been four more COVID-19 deaths – a woman in her 70’s, two men in their 70’s and a man in his 90’s, and all had underlying health issues. The death toll for the county now stands at 40. There are now 46 residents in total at Shaker Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center who have tested positive, along with 23 employees, including two staff members who have recovered and returned to work. Notably, two residents of Shaker Place have now recovered from the disease.

“Any death of an Albany County resident is a tragedy, let alone four, and my thoughts and prayers are with their families and the families of the 36 others who have lost loved ones during this crisis,” said County Executive McCoy. “While at times if feels like we are only delivering bad news to people, many who are already living with some fear and anxiety, I do try to highlight some of the more positive developments. To hear that two of our Shaker Place residents have recovered from this horrible disease leaves room for optimism as we continue to work to stem the spread of the virus.”

During the briefing, the County Executive reiterated the importance of self-reporting for the 2020 Census and the federal funding it decides as Albany County faces a potential $30 million deficit due to the coronavirus. The Census form is quick, easy and can be done online, by mail and over the phone. Albany County response rate now stands at 53.3%, ahead of the statewide response rate of 47.6%, but just behind the national response rate of 53.4%. For more information, you can visit 2020census.gov.

County Executive McCoy also announced additional features on the Albany County Rail Trail, including more bike racks and repair stations equipped with hand sanitizer dispensers. He urged people to keep everyone safe by following the CDC guidelines of maintaining social distance and wearing a mask if less than six feet apart. Anyone using the Rail Trail should have a mask with them in case of larger crowds.

The County Executive also highlighted the testing site that opened yesterday at Priority 1 Urgent Care, located in Hamilton Square at 2080 Western Avenue in Guilderland. The partnership was made possible by Albany County supplying the facility with critical personal protective equipment for their staff. The location, at the corner of Routes 20 and 155, is convenient for both those relying on public transportation and those traveling in their own vehicles from the City of Albany, New Scotland, the Hilltowns and Schenectady. Testing will be reimbursed by an individual’s health insurance, and will be done by appointments only after patients come in to be screened for expanded CDC symptoms. To schedule an appointment, you can call (518) 867-8040.

This week’s schedule for walk-up community COVID-19 testing has been announced, a partnership between County Executive McCoy and the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Center. Please note, that aside from the new times and locations for the rotating mobile sites, the times for daily testing at Whitney Young have also been updated. To date, 584 people have been tested, including 465 at the Albany sites and 119 at the Watervliet site. All testing is by appointment only, after being screened for symptoms over the phone. To be screened, please call (518) 465-4771. 

Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Center - 920 Lark Drive, Albany

• Wednesday: 8:30am – 12 noon
• Thursday: 1:00 – 4:00pm
• Friday: 8:30am – 12 noon

Rotating Locations & Dates for the Week of April 27 through May 1
Each week the mobile sites will rotate morning & afternoon testing. The full updated schedules can be found here.

• Wednesday, April 29
  • 1:30 – 4:00 pm: Equinox, 500 Central Ave, Albany
• Thursday, April 30
  • 9:00 am – 12 noon: Capital South Campus, 20 Warren Street, Albany
  • 1:30 – 4:00 pm: Watervliet Health Center, 1804 Second Avenue, Watervliet
• Friday, May 1
  • 9: 00 am – 12 noon: Location & Time TBD
  • 1:30 – 4:00 pm: 55 Mohawk Street, Cohoes

County Executive McCoy also encouraged those who are experiencing symptoms to access the drive-thru community testing site at Rite Aid, 1863 Central Avenue in Colonie that was launched in partnership with Town Supervisor Paula Mahan, Rite Aid and the US Dept. of Health and Human Services. 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 now available at www.riteaid.com. Tests will be conducted from within an individual’s car with self-swab nasal tests and with the help of a pharmacist.

For those experiencing stress, anxiety or depression while confined to their homes for extended periods of time, the Albany County COVID-19 Mental Health Support Line is available seven days a week from 8am to 8pm at (518) 269-6634. Anyone experiencing a psychiatric emergency should still call the Albany County Mobile Crisis Team at (518) 549–6500.

The County Executive continues to offer online videos on coping, crafts and reading, AAU karate, exercise, proper use of personal protective equipment and more.

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.