CATSKILL — Another Greene County resident has died from COVID-19, bringing the death toll from the pandemic to 78, Greene County Public Health said Tuesday.
“Sadly, another member of the community has passed away and we send our condolences to their loved ones,” according to a statement from Public Health.
The county did not identify the gender or age of the individual who died or the town where they lived.
As of Aug. 24, the county has 66 active cases, including 16 new infections Tuesday. There are 98 residents in quarantine due to the virus and the county’s seven-day rolling positivity rate is 4.3%, according to the department.
With the start of school around the corner on Sept. 7, the Coxsackie-Athens Central School District reported Tuesday an employee has been infected with the virus.
“We were notified today that an employee has tested positive for COVID-19,” District Superintendent Randall Squier announced Tuesday. “Their last day on campus was yesterday.”
The district has been in contact with Greene County Public Health and contact tracing has been conducted to identify any possible exposures.
“Contact tracing, when required, is completed to determine the vaccination status of anyone who had extended exposure of the person who tested positive,” Squier said.
The district declined to identify the person who tested positive for the virus, their health status or the position they hold in the district.
Greene County entered the high community transmission zone for COVID infections last week. The “red zone” is the highest level of danger from the coronavirus, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
County officials are encouraging eligible individuals to be vaccinated. The county also announced on its website, greenegovernment.com, that booster shots for fully vaccinated individuals who are immunocompromised are recommended.
“The Greene County Public Health Department is now accepting sign-ups for notifications of clinics for third doses of COVID-19 vaccine — at this time, only immunocompromised individuals are eligible to receive a third dose, and only Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are available for third doses,” according to a statement.
The state Health Department authorized New Yorkers with compromised immune systems to receive a third dose of the vaccine effective Aug. 16. Eligible individuals include those who have been receiving active cancer treatment; organ transplant recipients on medications to suppress the immune system; stem cell transplant recipients; those with immunodeficiency health conditions; individuals with advanced or untreated HIV infection; and people receiving treatment with high-dose corticosteroids, cancer chemotherapy or other medications that may suppress the body’s immune response, according to the state Health Department.