ALBANY — The county recorded the second highest number of new COVID cases, 140, from Thursday to Friday. The record high to date came on Nov. 14 when there were 147 new cases.
As of Friday, there were 1,989 new positive cases in November, more than 36 percent of the total 5,498 cases since the pandemic took hold in March. Friday marked the fourth consecutive day with 100 or more new cases.
“November is turning out to be a record breaking month,” said County Executive Dan McCoy. “We are continuing to go in the wrong direction and we are likely to see the numbers grow over the next couple week because of Thanksgiving and more people getting tested.”
The majority of the new cases, 116, don’t have a clear source of infection.
As of Friday, 2,480 people were in mandatory quarantine, down from 2,714 on Thursday. Of the 22,264 who completed quarantine, 4,534 who tested positive and recovered. From Thursday to Friday, 116 people had recovered from the virus.
There are 964 active cases in Albany County as of Friday.
From Thursday to Friday there were four new county residents hospitalized bringing the total to 43 for a hospitalization rate of .78 percent. There are 10 people in the ICU.
The death toll remains at 151.
The county seemed to have dodged a bullet as far as a yellow zone designation. From Nov. 19 to Nov. 25, McCoy said, there were 2,215 tests administered with 604 positive cases for a seven-day positivity rate of 2.987 percent. To be designated a yellow zone microcluster, an area would have to hit a seven day positivity rate of 3 percent for 10 consecutive days.
What areas of the county are designated is up to the state and it could be based on municipal lines, neighborhoods or zip codes. It would limit the number of people at gatherings and require schools to increase testing. It is the first layer of more stringent restrictions followed by orange and red.
On Nov. 25, the county had four days of a positivity rate of at least 3 percent so McCoy said it is only a matter of time until the designation comes.
“With the numbers we are getting now, and the direction we are going, we are going to get there,” he said.
As of Friday, the eight-county Capital District region had a positivity rate of 2.37 percent, the third lowest in the state.
