Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy announced today that the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Albany County has now climbed to 5,279 to date, an increase of 109 new positive cases since yesterday. Please note that our overall case count will fluctuate as the CommCare records for college students are transferred to the county in which they are isolating for their daily monitoring and then transferred back to Albany County for the final case count.

Additionally, the number of people under mandatory quarantine jumped to 2,452 from 2,247. The five-day average for new daily positives increased to 93 from 88.6. There are now 918 active cases in the county, up from 863 yesterday. So far, 21,570 people have completed quarantine. Of those who completed quarantine, 4,361 of them had tested positive and recovered. Among the new positive cases, 19 had close contact with positive cases, one reported traveling out of state, 84 did not have a clear source of infection at this time and five are healthcare workers or residents of congregate settings – though not from Shaker Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. 

There were no new hospitalizations to report overnight, while the number of county residents currently hospitalized from the virus decreased from 43 to 41. There are now 10 patients in the ICU (Intensive Care Unit), down from 12 yesterday, and the hospitalization rate is now 0.77%. Sadly, two county residents passed away due to complications from the virus. They were a woman in her 60’s and a man in his 70’s, neither of which were associated with a nursing home or other congregate setting. Albany County’s death toll is now 150 since the outbreak began.

“Tragically I have to report two more Albany County residents have lost their lives to the virus. We’ve also had nearly a fifth of all hospitalizations on record in the month of November alone,” said County Executive McCoy. “I understand we’re asking people to make sacrifices ahead of Thanksgiving, but I hope people remember the true meaning of the holiday – taking stock of the things that are truly important that we’re thankful for. By making sacrifices tomorrow, you can help protect the health and wellbeing of the people you love most.”

Ahead of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, County Executive McCoy encouraged residents to stay safe while shopping local, and consider patronizing businesses on their online platforms or using curbside pickup. Downtown Albany Business Improvement District has a list online of ways to shop without going into the physical locations. The Lark Street Business Improvement District is also hosting its Lark Street Holiday Market on Saturday. Going forward, a partnership between the Small Business Development Center and the University at Albany is offering webinars to local businesses to help them better connect with customers online.

Below is the remainder of this week’s schedule for Albany County’s COVID-19 mobile testing sites, a collaboration with the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Center. Testing is for those experiencing symptoms, essential workers and those returning to work by appointment only, after being screened over the phone. To be screened, please call (518) 465-4771.

Locations & Dates for the Week of November 23 (No testing Tuesday, Thursday or Friday this week)
(Please note that Albany has a location change; drive-thru is encouraged at both the Albany and Watervliet locations, but walk-ups are still welcome)
The full updated schedule, along with other testing site options, can be found at the Albany County website here.

Watervliet Administrative Building, 1804 Second Ave, Watervliet (Mobile Site now has drive-thru option)
• Wednesday: 10am – 2pm 

Community-wide 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 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. Priority 1 is also now doing antibody testing. 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 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.

Walgreens is now 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- 9am. Customers won’t leave their car and will administer the test themselves with guidance from a pharmacist. Results will be provided by eTrueNorth within three to five business days. This is in partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

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.

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.