ALBANY — There are 89 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Albany County as of Saturday, March 21, with 386 people under mandatory quarantine and 571 under precautionary quarantine.
That is up from 70 on Friday.
Statewide, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo, there are more than 11,645 cases including 56 people who have died, and more than 21,000 cases across the country with 266 deaths.
“The more tests you take the more positives you will find,” Cuomo said during a press briefing on Saturday, “We are taking more tests in New York than any place else. We are taking more tests, per capita than China or North Korea and we are taking more tests than anywhere in America.”
New York has done 45,000 tests for the virus while California has done 23,000 and the State of Washington has done 23,000.
There are 40 confirmed cases in Saratoga County.
Albany County Executive Dan McCoy said the Albany County Department of Health was able to hand out N95 masks to hospital and first responders. But, he said, there are still a need for more masks, gowns, Clorox wipes and test kits.
On Friday, he announced a Mental Health Support Line which is now operational for those dealing with stress and anxiety while remaining in their homes. That number is operational seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. by calling (518) 269-6634. Anyone experiencing a psychiatric emergency should still call the Albany County Mobile Crisis Team at (518) 549–6500.
For all COVID-19 questions and concerns, residents are encouraged to use United Way’s 2-1-1 hotline as well as the State Department of Health’s hot line at 888-364-3065.
If you would like to volunteer for the Albany County Medical Reserve Corps to help the response to COVID-19, please visit the below website to register. The Department of Health has a higher demand for especially looking for help answering phones and making calls to residents under quarantine. For additional assistance, you can call the Department of Health’s MRC Coordinator at (518) 447-4610.
