Infection rate in Mid-Hudson Region below 1 percent
■ State health officials said that, as of Thursday (Aug. 20), 1,468 (+2 from the day before) people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Putnam County; 4,721 (+11) in Dutchess; 36,586 (+23) in Westchester; 14,089 (+22) in Rockland; 2,113 (+7) in Ulster; and 11,292 (+10) in Orange. Statewide, there were 427,403 (+601) positives, including 231,288 (+273) in New York City.
■ The number of COVID-19 patients in intensive care in New York state dropped to 120 on Aug. 19, the lowest since March 16; the number of intubations dropped to 56 on Aug. 12, the lowest since mid-March; and the number of hospitalizations dropped to 518 on Aug. 19, the lowest since March 18. The infection rate of 0.74 percent on Aug. 19 was the 13th straight day below 1 percent.
■ Statewide, 25,275 (+5) people had died as of Aug. 19, including 63 (+0) residents of Putnam County and 153 (+0) from Dutchess.
■ Dashboards released by Dutchess showed that Beacon had seven active cases as of Aug. 19 and Putnam had 7 for the week ending Aug. 13, with no new cases reported in Philipstown, which has had a total of 128 cases.
■ In Dutchess County, there were 1,406 tests conducted on Aug. 19, with 11 positives, and in Putnam, there were 354 tests, with 2 positives. The percentage of positive results in the Mid-Hudson Region was 0.8 percent. Statewide, there were 80,984 tests conducted on Aug. 19 and 601 positives, or 0.74 percent. Through Aug. 19, Dutchess has conducted 116,019 tests and had 4.1 percent positives, while Putnam had conducted 33,050 tests and had 4.4 percent positives.
■ The state announced on Aug. 14 the launch of a $500,000 pilot program to detect the presence of COVID-19 in wastewater, designed to establish an early indicator system to forecast virus spread in communities. Newburgh is among the communities where samples will be collected.
■ The state extended the open enrollment period in its Health Plan Marketplace to Sept. 15.
■ On Thursday (Aug. 13), Putnam County delivered its 3,000th bag of groceries to a senior in need. The Office of Senior Resources also prepares grab-and-go lunches at its Friendship Centers, including in Cold Spring. Other meals are delivered. The food is donated by the United Way of Putnam and Westchester and the Food Bank of Hudson Valley under the direction of Faith Butcher. Each Thursday, volunteers from the United Way, food banks and other organizations and local government sort and bag truckloads of goods, the county said. The Office of Senior Resources also offers a variety of telephone and internet programs, including Coffee and Conversation, Brain Fitness, virtual bingo, Zoom dancing, book club chats, caregiver support groups and online exercise classes. For information, call 845-808-1700.
■ On Aug. 17, the Economic Development Administration at the U.S. Department of Commerce awarded a $400,000 CARES Act Recovery Assistance grant to the Hudson Valley Regional Council, based in Newburgh, to update economic development plans and help programs that assist communities in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Established in 1977 to serve Dutchess, Putnam, Orange, Rockland, Sullivan, Ulster and Westchester counties, it offers planning, education, outreach and advocacy for communities in the region.
■ Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Aug. 14 that bowling alleys will be allowed to reopen at 50 percent capacity as of Monday (Aug. 17) with safety protocols in place, including mandatory face coverings and social distancing. In addition, every other lane must be closed; patrons need to stay with the party at their assigned lane; thorough cleaning and disinfection of shared or rented equipment between each use will be required; and all food service must follow all state-issued guidance.
■ Cuomo said on Aug. 14 that museums, aquariums and other “low-risk” cultural institutions in New York City may reopen at 25 percent capacity starting Monday (Aug. 24). These institutions must have timed ticketing with staggered entry, strict enforcement of face coverings, social distancing, controlled traffic flow to avoid crowding, and enhanced cleaning and disinfection protocols, he said.
■ New York, New Jersey and Connecticut announced that anyone traveling from a state that has a positive test rate higher than 10 per 100,000 residents over a 7-day rolling average or a 10 percent or higher positivity rate over a 7-day rolling average must quarantine for 14 days. As of Aug. 18, the states were Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia and Wisconsin, as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
■ The state issued a reminder that unsolicited telemarketing calls are prohibited in New York state during a state of emergency, which the governor declared on March 7. Consumers who receive an unsolicited telemarketing sales call are encouraged to report details at donotcall.gov or by calling 888-382-1222.
■ The state has established a COVID-19 Emotional Support Hotline at 844-863-9314 for mental health counseling and resources. Health care workers can text NYFRONTLINE to 741-741 to access 24/7 emotional support services. For more information see omh.ny.gov.
■ On Aug. 5, the state Department of Financial Services ruled that insurers must ensure that patients are not charged fees for personal protective equipment used by providers in the insurer’s network. The agency said it had received complaints that in-network healthcare providers, particularly dental providers, were charging fees for PPE or other costs related to COVID-19 protocols.
What If I Feel Sick?
You’re feeling ill, with a cough, fever, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath. What should you do?
“It’s important to emphasize that the risk of serious illness from COVID-19 remains low,” the Putnam Hospital Center advises patients on its website. “Most infected people will experience mild upper respiratory symptoms.
“Some people, including the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), diabetes and heart disease, are at greater risk and may require more intensive care and/or hospitalization.”
If you feel ill, the hospital says the first step is to contact your doctor. Many offer “virtual” visits by teleconference. If you visit your doctor’s office or an urgent care, call first to let them know of your symptoms. Only go to the emergency department or call 911 if you are in urgent distress, and let the dispatcher know that you may have been exposed to COVID-19.
If your doctor believes you have COVID-19, he or she can order a test, which allows you to make an appointment by phone at a drive-thru facility. At the facility, a sample will be collected and sent for testing.
For general questions about COVID-19, Putnam Hospital Center operates a hotline staffed by nurses daily from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at 888-667-9262. A representative for the hospital said that most callers (1) ask about symptoms and what to do if exposed to someone who has COVID-19; (2) believe they have symptoms, in which case they are referred to their doctor; or (3) ask how they can donate equipment such as masks, anti-bacterial soap and, in one case, a pediatric ventilator.
The hospital has a list of commonly asked questions and responses posted at bitly.com/covidvirus-faq. The state Department of Health also has a hotline at 888-364-3065 that is open around the clock to answer general questions or for information about testing sites.
■ Questions? Dutchess County posts updates at dutchessny.gov/coronavirus and has a hotline at 845-486-3555. Putnam County posts info at putnamcountyny.com/health. New York State has a hotline at 888-364-3065 and a webpage at ny.gov/coronavirus. The state also created an email list to provide updates. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention posts updates at cdc.gov. To find a test site, visit coronavirus.health.ny.gov.
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