Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations are rising in Albany County ahead of Thanksgiving, county officials reported Wednesday.

There were 115 new positive cases identified in the county and 611 active cases, up from 604 Tuesday, County Executive Dan McCoy said.

A man in his 60s died from COVID-19, bringing the county's total death toll to 440, McCoy said. 

There were eight new hospitalizations since Tuesday and 41 total county residents hospitalized with coronavirus, four of which are receiving intensive care, unchanged from Tuesday, McCoy said.

“It’s important that we remember what the situation looked like this time last year ahead of the holiday season, because we know that it was around this time that we saw an alarming spike in infections and soon after, hospitalizations and deaths,” McCoy said.

There were more than 1,000 more infections and more than two times the number of deaths between Oct. 24 and Nov. 24 of this year compared to last year, he said. 

Albany County’s most recent seven-day average of percent positive rate is 5%, lower than the Capital Region's average rate of 6.8%, McCoy said. The county announced 75% of all county residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine, and 67.5% are fully vaccinated.

“The best way to protect our residents is by getting people vaccinated, and making sure they’re able to get their boosters,” McCoy said.