Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy announced today that the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Albany County has now climbed to 14,564 to date, an increase of 351 new positive cases since yesterday. The five-day average for new daily positives has increased to 279 from 265.4. Please note that our overall case count will fluctuate as CommCare records are transferred in and out of the county.

The County Executive reported that among the new positive cases, 42 had close contact with positive cases, one had traveled out of state, 287 did not have a clear source of infection at this time and 21 are healthcare workers or residents of congregate settings. There are now 1,948 active cases in the county, down from 1,997 yesterday. The number of people under mandatory quarantine increased to 3,154 from 3,119. So far, 43,935 people have completed quarantine. Of those who completed quarantine, 12,616 of them had tested positive and recovered. That is an increase of 390 recoveries since yesterday.

There were 15 new hospitalizations overnight, and there are 155 county residents currently hospitalized from the virus – a net increase of seven. There are now eight patients in the ICU, down from nine yesterday. Sadly, there were two additional COVID-related death to report since yesterday: A woman in her 50’s and a man in his 80’s. The death toll for the county now stands at 256 since the outbreak began. 

During the briefing, County Executive McCoy also announced that the historic renovations at Shaker Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center are now complete. With construction coming to an end, residents living in the separate and physically isolated Tower building have been transferred to the new residential units. Through a partnership with the State Department of Health and St. Peter’s Health Partners, the separate facility will soon serve as temporary hospital overflow for non-infectious COVID patients that still require care, but do not need hospital treatment. The County Executive was joined by St. Peter’s Health Partners President & CEO James Reed, MD to discuss the initiative.

“This new, state-of-the-art long-term care facility is now a home our residents deserve, and one that they and their families can be proud of. Having finished this project, we have an unutilized building removed from the main units at Shaker Place that has the equipment and infrastructure in place to safely care for people who have recovered from  COVID, who are asymptomatic and no longer shedding the virus, but are still testing positive,” said County Executive McCoy.

“Albany County is experiencing record levels of both hospitalizations and ICU admissions that we haven’t seen since the outbreak started. The Capital Region’s hospital bed availability has dropped to 23% and ICU bed space is now down to an alarming 16%. We are not going to let our residents suffer in overwhelmed hospital hallways, as we’ve seen in other places around the world. This initiative will free up hospital beds for those who truly require hospital care. It’s critical that we provide our healthcare system with the relief that they may need soon to maintain proper staffing, and I’m proud to partner with the State and St. Peter’s on this,” he continued. 

The Tower facility, which formerly served to care for Albany County Nursing Home residents, has a separate entrance and ventilation system, keeping anyone still testing positive isolated and without the risk of air flow spreading the virus. The Tower will only accept those patients who have been discharged from the hospital that no longer require acute care services, and while still testing COVID positive, are asymptomatic and pose a low contagion risk.

The decommissioned Tower will also have a separate and dedicated staff who are not County employees and do not work at Shaker Place and will never be in contact with the staff or any residents of the newly renovated Shaker Place Rehabilitation and Nursing Center. Staffing will be provided through a coalition managed by St. Peter’s Health Partners.

Below is the remainder of the schedule for Albany County’s mobile COVID-19 testing sites this week, 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 January 11 
The full updated schedule, along with other testing site options, can be found at the Albany County website here.

Wednesday, January 13: 9AM - 1PM
Whitney Young Administrative Building, 1601 Broadway Watervliet, NY 12189
(Drive-up testing site. Large brick building across the parking lot from the Watervliet Whitney Young Health Center, across the street from McDonald's)

Friday, January 15: 9AM - 1PM
Times Union Center, 51 South Pearl St, Albany, NY 12207
(All vehicles must access the TU Center parking garage along Market Street. Enter at Level 3 through the Market Street entrance booths)

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 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 now 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- 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.
 
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.