Tuesday, April 13, 2021

Chairman’s press release

THURSDAY & FRIDAY POD LINKS TO POST TODAY

AT 5 P.M. On Thursday and Friday from 1-3 p.m., the Columbia County Department of Health will conduct Moderna first dose vaccination PODs at Columbia-Greene Community College. Registration for both PODs begins at 5 p.m. today. Visit the county DOH website at columbiacountynyhealth.com or contact the county call center at 518-697-5560 to register. Individuals age 18 and up are eligible to receive the Moderna vaccine. The county DOH will vaccinate any eligible individual residing anywhere in New York State.

INFECTION RATE STEADY

By midday today, the Columbia County Department of Health had recorded 11 new cases of COVID-19 among county residents, with eight cases recorded on Saturday and 14 on Sunday and Monday combined. Eight county residents are hospitalized. Two are in the ICU. “Fortunately, we haven’t seen any real spike here, unlike downstate and the western part of the state,” said county DOH Director Jack Mabb.

ADVISORY: Please note that the numbers distributed in Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt Murell’s coronavirus press releases are morning results provided to the county Department of Health via the state reporting system. Updated numbers are issued again by the state in the afternoon, ordinarily past the time this press release is distributed. Consequently, there may be discrepancies in the numbers that appear here versus the final daily numbers shown on the DOH website and elsewhere.

NYS ISSUES JOHNSON & JOHNSON VACCINE STATEMENT

New York State Health Commission Howard Zucker today released the following statement regarding news that administration of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be paused because of recent reports of post-vaccine complications: “Today the CDC and FDA issued a statement recommending a pause in the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine out of an abundance of caution. New York State will follow the CDC and FDA recommendation and pause the use of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine statewide immediately today while these health and safety agencies evaluate next steps. All appointments for Johnson & Johnson vaccines today at New York State mass vaccination sites will be honored with the Pfizer vaccine” “As the CDC and FDA have said, any adverse events related to the Johnson & Johnson vaccine ‘appear to be extremely rare,” and, “People who have received the J&J vaccine who develop severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath within three weeks after vaccination should contact their health care provider.”

COUNTY VACCINATION PROGRESS As of Monday, April 12, the county Department of Health had administered 7,931 first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Second doses now number 4,706. The vaccine administered is Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson & Johnson. The total number of Columbia County residents by all vaccine providers, as shown on the NYS COVID-19 vaccine tracker website: 24,859 have received at least one shot. 16,317 have received both shots.

COUNTY STATE OF EMERGENCY EXTENDED County Board of Supervisors Chairman Matt Murell has announced that an extension of the county’s state of emergency – caused by COVID-19 — would remain in effect until May 12, 2021, at 12 p.m., unless rescinded or modified. The full text of the declaration is available on the Columbia County website at https://www.columbiacountyny.com

SENIORS: NEED VACCINATION REGISTRATION HELP? Columbia County Seniors and/or homebound residents in need of assistance getting themselves registered for the COVID-19 vaccine are encouraged to contact the county call center Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The telephone number is 518-697-5560. COUNTY VACCINATION INFORMATION PHONE LINE The Columbia County call center dedicated to helping those requiring assistance with vaccine registration is active Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The dedicated telephone number is 518-697-5560.

CORONAVIRUS TESTING SITES (as of 1-8-2021) New York Testing Sites by appointment only at 888-364-3065 visit http://www.covid19screening.health.ny.gov/; WellNow Urgent Care, 446 Fairview Avenue, Hudson. 518-267- 3496. May be out-of-pocket costs; Columbia County Department of Health, 518-828-3358. Check www.columbiacountynyhealth.com for scheduled walk-up and drive-thru clinics; Greene County Department of Health, by appointment only on Wednesdays from 5-6:30 p.m., 518-719-3600.. Also, Community Care Physicians, Latham. 518-863-3600. 12-7 p.m.; Priority 1 Urgent Care, Guilderland, 518- 867-8040; Whitney Young, Albany, 518-465-4771; Rite Aid, Colonie, 518-267-3496; CareMount Medical Urgent Care, Rhinebeck, 844-484-6564; CVS-Valatie, 518- 758-2200; CVS-Red Hook, 845-758-9612. Also, Central Med Urgent Care, 1662 Central Avenue, Albany, 518-240-1456, bills insurance; Walgreens Rapid Testing, 41 Holland Avenue, Albany, 518-426, 2976. EmUrgentCare locations offer COVID-19 tests for patients without symptoms at the following locations: 98 Wolf Rd., Albany; 11835 US-9W, West Coxsackie; 2976 US-9W, Saugerties; 5 New Karner Rd., Guilderland. The telephone number for all locations is 518-264-9000. Check for out-of-pocket costs. Price Chopper test locations with testing hours from 7-9 a.m. on Tuesdays: Chatham, Clifton Park, Latham, Troy, Wilton. Other Price Chopper locations and times: Ft. Edward, Tuesday, 7-10 a.m.; Glenmont, Wednesday, 7-10 a.m.; Johnstown, Tuesday, 7-11 a.m.; and Schenectady, Wednesday, 12-2 p.m. Pine Plains Pharmacy: 2965 Church Street, Pine Plains, 518-398-5588. Monday-Saturday by appointment only.

AT-HOME COVID-19 TEST AVAILABLE LabCorp currently offers an at-home COVID-19 test at https://www.pixel.labcorp.com/at-home-test-kits/covid19-test-home-collection-kit. This test does not detect antibodies or immunity. It is designed to determine active infection with the virus that causes COVID-19. After completing a short eligibility survey, choose a billing option, which can be through personal insurance, the use of federal funds to cover the cost of this test on your behalf if you’re uninsured, or with a credit card. The test kit will arrive via FedEx. After collecting and returning your sample, the average time to deliver results is onetwo days from when your sample is received at the lab, according to LabCorp.

DONATION INFORMATION Monetary: Monetary donations intended for the purchase of coronavirus testing kits and much-needed equipment for emergency responders, medical personnel, and others on the front lines of the coronavirus fight are advised to send a check in care of Columbia County, with coronavirus noted in the memo field. The check can be sent to the Columbia County Controller’s Office, 401 State Street, Hudson, NY 12534. All money received is being placed in a dedicated account. PPE: Those wishing to make donations of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), such as N95 masks, face shields, and gowns, are advised to contact the Emergency Management Office at 518-828-1212. Food: Donations should be directed to the county Office for the Aging (518-828-4258) and local food pantries. Masks: Those wishing to donate cloth masks to the county stockpile may contact the county Emergency Management office at 518-828-1212 or [email protected]. Or Supervisor Rob Lagonia at [email protected]

DISCLAIMER It is the county’s intention to issue accurate information regarding the coronavirus situation under conditions that can change by the minute. For the most up-to-date, accurate information, visit the County Department of Health’s website at https://www.columbiacountynyhealth.com or their Facebook page @: https://www.facebook.com/Columbia-County-Department-of-Health-469399129790791. The state’s coronavirus website, with up-to-the-minute information, can be located at https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/home. Every Tuesday and Friday, the county will issue a press release on the coronavirus situation. The releases can be found on the Columbia County website and the Facebook pages of the Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Health, and the Emergency Management Office.