Albany County coronavirus update
ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — With 15 new cases since Wednesday, there have been 2,489 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Albany County. With one more tragic death since the last county update, the death toll is now 132 since the outbreak began.
The latest death is a man in his 40s with underlying health issues who lived in a congregate setting.
There are 36 active cases, up from 31 on Wednesday. Of Thursday’s new positives, eight had close contact with positive cases, four live or work in health care settings, and three had no clear source of infection. The five-day average for new daily positives went up from 4.8 to 7.6.
So far, 9,307 people completed quarantine, and 2,453 had tested positive and recovered. Ten more recoveries were reported, and the number under mandatory quarantine increased to 509 from 499.
With nine people hospitalized and one in intensive care, the hospitalization rate is 0.36%.
At Thursday’s coronavirus update, County Executive Daniel P. McCoy also chose to highlight mental health and addiction issues during the pandemic. “The economic shutdown and quarantine have only exacerbated mental health and addiction issues, with the American Medical Society sounding the alarm on rising opioid-related deaths in 40 states, and an 18% spike in overdoses nationwide this year. Ahead of International Overdose Awareness Day on Monday, it’s critical to let the public know that we continue to offer services throughout the pandemic,” he said.
McCoy held up positive examples like Deterra, which offers a safe and environmentally-friendly way to deactivate and dispose of unwanted and unused drugs, Opioid Overdose Prevention trainings conducted via Zoom on Tuesdays that help get NARCAN into communities, and the Open Access Program that streamlines addiction options at (866) 930-4999.