Latest Coronavirus Update | The Highlands Current

COVID situation in Putnam County improves

■ As of Monday (Jan. 3), Putnam County had been upgraded to “medium” on the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions scale of COVID-19 spread. At that level, mask-wearing in public indoor spaces and on public transportation is no longer recommended, unless someone is at high risk for serious illness. The 7-day average of cases per 100,000 in Putnam stood at 26.6 on Tuesday, compared to 34.1 on Dec. 14.

■ The level of COVID-19 infections in Putnam County has been downgraded to “high” by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. At that level, the CDC recommends that people wear masks in public indoor spaces, including on public transportation. The agency also recommends that people test for COVID-19 if they have symptoms and take additional precautions if they are at risk for severe  illness.

■ The 7-day average of COVID cases per 100,000 residents in Dutchess County rose to 24.5 on Dec. 8, compared to 14.7 on Nov. 24, according to data from the state Department of Health. Putnam County’s average was also higher, 27.7 on Dec. 8 versus 23.5 two weeks earlier. The state data does not include positive results from home tests.

■ Putnam Hospital Center reported 11 COVID patients on Dec. 8, the facility’s highest one-day census since Feb. 5. Five of the patients were admitted specifically because they were sick with COVID. The remaining patients were admitted for reasons other than COVID but tested positive for infection.

■The Food and Drug Administration authorized on Dec. 8 the dispensing of the bivalent COVID booster shot for children as young as 6 months old. Both Moderna and Pfizer updated their original vaccines to also target two subvariants of the Omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID. For more information, read the FDA’s announcement.

By the Numbers

■ State health officials said that the seven-day average of positive tests was 10.3 percent in Putnam and 13.4 percent in Dutchess. For the latest numbers, click here.

■ Statewide, at least 60,595 people had died as of Jan. 5, including 141 residents of Putnam County and 729 from Dutchess.

■ The number of people with COVID-19 who are hospitalized in New York state as of Jan. 5 stood at 4,157; the number in intensive care was 410; and the number of intubations was 164.

■ As of Jan. 5, 71.6 percent of Dutchess residents had completed the primary vaccine series and 21.2 percent of those eligible for boosters were up to date, according to the COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker. In Beacon (12508), 68.1 percent had completed the primary series and 17.2 percent of those eligible were up to date.

■ As of Jan. 5, 76.2 percent of Putnam residents had completed the primary vaccine series and 19.1 percent of those eligible for boosters were up to date. In Cold Spring and Philipstown (10516), 87.9 percent of residents had received a primary series and 28.1 percent were up to date, while in Garrison (10524), 82.5 percent had received a primary series and 22.2 percent were up to date.

■ Dutchess County vaccine information

■ Putnam County vaccine information

■ An advisory panel to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended on Oct. 20 that COVID-19 vaccines be added to the immunization schedule for children and adults next year. The recommendation by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is not a mandate, and states determine the vaccines required to attend school.

■ Putnam County is holding a clinic on Oct. 3 at which residents 12 and older who have gone at least two months since their last shot can receive a new vaccine booster made by Pfizer that targets Omicron subvariants of the virus that causes COVID-19. The clinic takes place from 3 to 6 p.m. at the county Health Department, 1 Geneva Road in Brewster. Registration is required and can be completed online here.

■ The state Department of Health launched on Sept. 21 a new website with information and resource for people experiencing “long COVID,” the name given to the presence of various symptoms after the initial infection is over. The site includes an overview of long COVID and its symptoms and links to resources for patients and doctors.

■Booster shots of new Pfizer and Moderna vaccines designed to target two Omicron subvariants, as well as the original strain of the virus that causes COVID-19, are now available to New York residents who are at least two months past their last shot, Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Sept. 7. The Pfizer boosters are authorized for people 12 and older and the Moderna shots for those 18 and older.

■ As of Sept. 7, masks are no longer required to be worn by passengers on Metro-North trains and other modes of public transportation in New York state, as well as for-hire vehicles, airports, correctional facilities and detention centers, and homeless shelters. Masks will still be required at adult care and health care facilities regulated by the state Department of Health, and in clinical settings regulated by the Office of Mental Health, Office of Addiction Services and Supports and the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities.

■ The Food and Drug Administration authorized booster shots of updated Pfizer and Moderna vaccines that have been reengineered to target the Omicron variant of the virus that causes COVID-19, along with the original strain of the virus. The authorization covers, for people 18 and older, a single shot at least two months after the last dose. More information is available at the FDA website.

■New York State released on Aug. 22 updated guidance for schools that eliminates a recommendation that students and staff quarantine if exposed to someone with COVID-19 and drops a “test-to-stay” policy that allowed school districts to use daily testing to keep exposed students in school. The new guidance, which follows relaxed guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, also allows schools to do away with COVID-19 screening, except for high-risk activities or in response to outbreaks, and a recommendation that schools group students into pods or cohorts. Visit the state’s COVID guidance website for more information.

■ People exposed to someone with COVID-19 no longer need to quarantine but can instead wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and test themselves on Day 1, according to updated guidance for the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC revised its recommendation for social distancing, saying individuals can decided for themselves based on their setting, and also rescinded its recommendation that asymptomatic people be screened in community settings. Visit the CDC website for more information.

■ Since July 1, the percentage of COVID-19 tests confirmed to be positive each day in Dutchess County averaged 13 percent, and in Putnam County, 10.8 percent, according to state data through Aug.  8. The statewide 7-day average positivity rate on Monday stood at 8.51 percent. The data does not include results from at-home tests unless they are reported to local health departments.

■ Eleven Dutchess County residents died of COVID-19 during the 23 days from July 16 and Aug. 8, matching the total deaths in the previous 40 days, from May 23 to July 15. As of Aug. 8, the state reported 682 total COVID-19 deaths among Dutchess residents and 128 in Putman County.

■ Although still dwarfed by first-time infections, the number of reinfections in Dutchess, Putnam and the five other counties that make up the state’s Mid-Hudson region began rising again in July after falling to 4.2 percent per 100,000 people from 7.3 percent between May 9 and the week beginning June 13. For the week beginning July 13, the rate was back up to 6.7 percent, with the 1,083 reinfections accounting for 18 percent of all new COVID-19 cases reported that week.

■ Gov. Kathy Hochul said on July 20 that the state is preparing a plan to respond to a potential new wave of COVID-19 cases in the fall. The plan will include strategies for protecting students as schools reopen. She also said that the state is soliciting bids from consultants, one of whom will be hired to assess New York’s pandemic response.

■ The state said on July 11 that is has launched a hotline — 888-TREAT-NY (888-873-2869) — that people who test positive and do not have a health care provider can use to find treatment options. Residents also can find more information about treatments at health.ny.gov.

■ Schools are no longer required to report positive tests among students, teachers and staff to the state. During the 2021-22 academic year, 387 Beacon students, 59 teachers and 52 staff members tested positive; Haldane reported that 272 students, 25 teachers and 35 staff tested positive; and Garrison said 68 students, 11 teachers and eight staff tested positive.

■ New York announced on June 30 that it has issued nearly 11 million Excelsior Passes, including the most…