COVID-19 Update

The Columbia County Department of Health is now reporting 39 positive cases of COVID-19, an increase of three from yesterday. Today's update also includes a statement about why there is a discrepancy between the numbers reported by CCDOH and the numbers reported by the New York State Department of Health, which reports that, as of 3:28 p.m. today, there are 30 positive cases in Columbia County.

As of 2:30 p.m., March 31, 2020, Columbia County has 39 positive cases of COVID-19. Six of the positive cases are hospitalized, four of those are in the ICU. We have received 366 test results completed for Columbia County residents. There are 70 under mandatory quarantine and 20 under precautionary quarantine. There are 10 residents with suspected, not tested cases.

It may be confusing to compare the numbers we report here to the numbers reported by NYSDOH and other news platforms. We suspect the discrepancy comes from dual homeownership. While we get results on people who report having addresses in Columbia County, there may be people with more than one address and the state attributes their results to their other address (likely downstate). The numbers we report are the cases we are monitoring and the homes we visit to ensure compliance with Isolation  Quarantine. We continue to monitor our numbers closely and make it a priority to report information as accurate as possible to our residents.

Regardless of who gets tested, where a person is from, essential or non-essential work, it is important now more than ever to STAY HOME. We recommend staying 6 ft away from everyone but that still leaves a risk of surface transfer. Touching countertops, doorknobs, shopping carts, etc. allow the transfer of the virus. Keep your hands clean, don't touch your face, use virtual platforms to socialize. STAY HOME.