2 new COVID-19 deaths, nearly 600 new cases since Friday – Times Union
ALBANY — Two more Albany County residents have died after contracting the coronavirus, the latest victims of a disease that is once again on the rise in the Capital Region.
Two new deaths occurred between Friday and Tuesday. The victims were a man in his 60s and a woman in her 90s.
Since Monday, 133 new infections have been reported and 589 new infections in total since the county last released coronavirus data on Friday.
In the earlier report, the county announced over 500 new cases and four deaths, though one of the deaths occurred at a prior point but had not be reported to the county.
Cases are slowly increasing in the county, the Capital Region and much of upstate.
The county’s seven-day average of new daily positive cases has increased to 157, from the 134 announced Friday.
“Our infection rate continues to rise at an alarming rate, and we are likely not detecting the full level of community spread as many at-home COVID tests go unreported,” County Executive Dan McCoy said in a statement that accompanied the new numbers. “Albany County’s average percent positive rate has jumped from 3.3% to 13.5% over the last month.”
The infection rate in the Capital Region stood at 13.5 percent on Sunday, according to state data.
Four new hospitalizations have been reported since Monday, and 20 hospitalizations since Friday.
Currently, there are 31 county residents being hospitalized with COVID-19. There are three residents currently in the intensive care unit, an increase from one previously.
“Sadly, as the virus spreads more and more, hospitalizations rise and we see more deaths, and my condolences go out to the families who lost loved ones over the last few days,” said McCoy.
To date, 549 coronavirus deaths have occurred in Albany County, and 65,885 cases have been confirmed.
