Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy announced today that as of this morning, there are now 1,224 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Albany County. Additionally, there are now 1,101 people under mandatory quarantine and 4 people under precautionary quarantine. To date, 2,601 individuals have completed quarantine, with 621 of them having tested positive and recovered. There were sadly two additional deaths in the county – two women with underlying health issues, one was in her 70’s and the other was in her 90’s. The death toll for the county now stands at 49.

With 32 people now hospitalized, the hospitalization rate for Albany County stands at 2.61%, up slightly from 2.5% yesterday. The number of those individuals who are in Intensive Care Units (ICU) is now at 7, a decrease of one since yesterday’s briefing. The two deaths announced today were both Shaker Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center residents. There are now 48 residents in total at Shaker Place who have tested positive for COVID-19, including two who have recovered. Additionally, 15 employees who have tested positive remain out of work, while nine others who had tested positive have fully recovered and returned to work.

County Department of Health Commissioner Dr. Elizabeth Whalen joined the County Executive for the briefing to discuss topics like herd immunity and the most recent data that’s being collected on the Albany County COVID-19 Dashboard, which can be found at this link here (please note, all data is updated each night, which does not reflect the numbers announced at today’s briefing).

“As we continue to expand our testing facilities in Albany County, we are better able to use the data we’re finding to determine whether or not we’ve hit the apex of this pandemic, which age groups are contracting the virus and the effects on them, and how we can make smart choices about reopening the economy,” said County Executive McCoy.

“While we still need more testing to make strong conclusions about the data, we are beginning to see here what’s been found across the country – that at least when it comes to hospitalizations and ICU admittance, communities of color are unfortunately being disproportionately affected by this virus. And this is why I’ve made economic and health equity a centerpiece of my administration and why I’m proud to have invested in walk-up community testing in our underserved neighborhoods,” he continued. 

As of yesterday, Albany County has tested 11,563 of its residents and has a positive rate of 10.9%. Breaking down fatality statistics by age, those who are 75 years and older made up 53.2% of all deaths in Albany County, whereas those between 50 and 74 made up the remaining 46.8%. For total positive cases by age, the 50-59 age group has the highest number at 223 and the 20-29 age group in close second with 208 cases. When analyzing the data for breakdowns of hospitalizations and ICU admittance by race/ethnicity, those identifying as Black or African American represent 26.1% and 30.2% respectively. They make up roughly 11.4% of the Albany County population. 

During the briefing, County Executive McCoy highlighted a new initiative being led by the Central Avenue, Downtown Albany and Lark Street Business Improvement Districts (BID’s) to honor first responders and healthcare workers on the front lines of the pandemic. They are looking for nominees and will pick one at random every day this month starting today. To nominate someone, including doctors, nurses, transportation workers, pharmacists, grocery store workers and others, submit a photo and brief description to the Downtown Albany BID’s Facebook page (@AlbanyBID) or email info@downtownalbany.org.

The County Executive also took time to recognize National Teacher Appreciation Week and thanked all teachers, including our newest teachers – parents – who are assisting with the education of their children from home.

County Executive McCoy announced recently the schedule this week’s walk-up community COVID-19 testing, a partnership between Albany County and the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Center. The initiative has been expanded to take a regional approach to testing and help more people. The schedule is based on demand and mobile site locations are updated weekly based on that need. 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

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

Rotating Locations & Dates for the Week of May 4
Each week the mobile sites will rotate morning & afternoon testing. The full updated schedule can be found here.

• Monday, May 4
  • 1:30 – 4:00 pm: Equinox, 500 Central Ave, Albany
• Tuesday, May 5
  • 9:00 am – 12 noon: Front of the County Administration Building, 1000 7th Avenue, Troy
  • 1:30 – 4:00 pm: Front of the County Administration Building, 1000 7th Avenue, Troy
• Wednesday, May 6
  • 9:00 am – 12 noon: Equinox, 500 Central Ave, Albany
  • 1:30 – 4:00 pm: Watervliet Health Center, 1804 Second Ave, Watervliet
• Thursday, May 7
  • 9:00 am – 12 noon: Capital South Campus, 20 Warren Street, Albany
  • 1:30 – 4:00 pm: Front of City Hall—62 Washington St, Rensselaer
• Friday, May 8
  • 9:00 am – 12 noon: Whitney Young Troy Health Center, 849 2nd Ave, Lansingburgh
  • 1:30 pm – 4:00pm: Watervliet Health Center, 1804 Second Ave, Watervliet

The County Executive also highlighted the latest testing site in Albany County 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 the staff and supplemental test kits. 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.

County Executive McCoy also encouraged those who are experiencing COVID-19 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.