COVID IN RENSSELAER COUNTY, NY - A CASE STUDY

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COVID IN RENSSELAER COUNTY, NY - A CASE STUDY

Post by thelivyjr »

THE CAPE CHARLES MIRROR April 22, 2020 at 11:00 am

Paul Plante says:

Talk about a thread shining a spotlight on muck needing to be raked, and raked real good, right down to the bedrock, and a can of worms needing its lid ripped off, but good, it is this thread concerning what is going on in New York, where it is now quite possible and very probable that the wits of Andy Cuomo, the autocratic, tyrannical, dictatorial Democratic Socialist governor of the state, have slipped their moorings, rendering Andy, who according to the knowledgeable Albany, New York Times Union, rules by fear, likely as insane as was George III of England at the time of the American Revolution, or Saddam Hussein when he tried to make Kuwait another province of Iraq.

As a former public health engineer in corrupt New York, I have been combing though as many news clippings as I can find on the internet in order to put together a chronology of the events leading up to what can only be called a fiasco and cluster**** after the CDC sent out an alert about COVID on 8 January 2020 to state and local health officers, state and local epidemiologists, state and local laboratory directors, public information officers, HAN coordinators, and clinician organizations.

So there is a key date in this puzzle – 8 January 2020, the alarm buzzer was sounded, or at least somebody pressed the button with that alert, which would have gone to not only the state health commissioner, a worthless lackey of Andy Cuomo’s, but right down to every county health officer, of which I used to be one, so I know the warning system quite well, as well as knowing that in New York, that system has largely been gutted by Andy Cuomo and his father Mario, but that is old news now, we know the system is broken, so moving right along, we come to an article in the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle entitled “Coronavirus deaths in New York projected at 16,000 or more; NYC patients moved upstate” by Joseph Spector on April 1, 2020, which is 83 days AFTER the initial CDC alert, where we were informed as follows concerning the numbers:

ALBANY – 16,000 deaths in New York.

That was the sobering projection Gov. Andrew Cuomo displayed Wednesday as the coronavirus death toll in New York approached 2,000 and New York City hospitals started shipping patients for the first time upstate.

“This virus has been ahead of us since day one,” Cuomo said at his daily briefing at the state Capitol.

Cuomo based his remarks off of modeling done by the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, founded by Bill and Melinda Gates that estimated about 100,000 deaths nationwide as the virus spreads across the U.S.

end quotes

So there is where Andy is getting his numbers from, and having been very vocal about those numbers, now Andy has to defend them, lest he look like he doesn’t know what he is talking about, which takes us back to that statement about “New York City hospitals started shipping patients for the first time upstate,” and from there to an article in Saratoga Living entitled “Governor Cuomo: COVID-19 Patients From NYC Have Been Moved To Albany Med” by Will Levith on 1 April 2020, to wit:

According to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, the Capital Region is now offering up care and hospital beds to New York City COVID-19 patients.

In his April 1 press conference, the governor was asked by a journalist whether patients in New York City had been moved to Albany Medical Center and Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, and Cuomo responded “yes,” at least to the Albany Med question.

“This is one state, this is one family of New York,” said Cuomo.

end quotes

If somebody wanted or needed any more proof that Cuomo is insane, they need go no further than that statement right there about “(T)his is one state, this is one family of New York,” so that in the mind of Andy Cuomo, the right thing to do, in the language of Hussein Obama, is to ship COVID patients including the NYC homeless out of NYC to upstate, which is largely rural, to insure its spread throughout the whole state, as we can see from a WGRZ article entitled “Every county in NYS now has confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19)” on April 2, 2020, to wit:

ALBANY, N.Y. — Every county in NYS now has a confirmed case of coronavirus (COVID-19).

That’s according to New York Governor Andrew Cuomo.

end quotes

Every county in New York state, many of them rural, now have COVID because Andy Cuomo made sure they would by sending out COVID patients from NYC like “smallpox blankets” to insure its spread, which goes against everything in the Public Health Law, which Andy has scrapped along with our Constitution, which takes us back to a NEWSWEEK article entitled “New York Governor Dismisses Rumors About NYC Quarantine, Says ‘I Have No Interest'” by Jenni Fink on 3/17/20, 69 days AFTER the CDC alert on 8 January, to wit:

As New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio floated the possibility of a “shelter in place” order, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo denied that a full-blown lockdown of the Big Apple was looming.

New York state has had the largest outbreak of cases in the U.S. and rumors of officials locking down New York City have been swirling for days, causing some to leave the city or stockpile supplies.

On Tuesday, Cuomo adamantly dismissed the rumors, saying they were “not true” and were being fueled by people’s fears and anxieties.

He claimed that it cannot happen legally because implementing a quarantine would require state approval and he has “no interest” and “no plan” to quarantine any city in the state because he does not want to incite panic.

end quotes

Right after that, not surprisingly, and this is according to published statistics available to anyone who wants to take the time to wade through all this bull**** from Andy Cuomo, COVID began a rapid spread in upstate counties 160 miles to the north of NYC, and now, it is everywhere.

And that is only the beginning of this sorry tale of what happens when a people put someone insane in positions of power over them.

This really has nothing to do with public health anymore – rather, it has become political, with Andy Cuomo now becoming the face of the Democrat party push against Trump, who had absolutely no role to play here, as we see by going back to the language of the CDC alert, to wit:

This message was distributed to state and local health officers, state and local epidemiologists, state and local laboratory directors, public information officers, HAN coordinators, and clinician organizations.

end quotes

Andy Cuomo has become the next Democrat in line to gain national attention in attacking Trump, who didn’t drop any balls here, because he wasn’t even on the playing field, after Adam Schiff, the smarmy and unctuous Democrat congressman from Hollywood and Disneyland, made a complete fool of himself and the Democrats with their failed attempt to impeach Trump, and being the political hack that he is, Cuomo and the Democrats have to push this COVID crisis created by Andy Cuomo as far as they can leading up to the November presidential elections, and they need to jack the numbers up, by hook or crook, those time-tested Democrat methods, to make Trump look as bad as they can, as if those deaths were the fault of Trump, and not Andy Cuomo, who is being made out by the fawning, cowardly, sycophantic main-stream media as the KNIGHT IN WHITE SHINING ARMOR riding in on his white horse to save the day.


http://www.capecharlesmirror.com/news/n ... ent-247621
NOTE: COVID-19 is an emerging, rapidly evolving situation, and hence, this thread which is tracking COVID in an upstate county in New York state with a dysfunctional health department will also be evolving.

The first thing I wanted to do was to capture as many news articles on the subject, as possible.

As I do that, you may notice the order of things changing, as I want to keep things in a chronological order, that because the news items are not themselves necessarily in chronological order as I search them out.

Thus, your patience is appreciated.

COVID IN RENSSELAER COUNTY - A CASE STUDY OF COVID IN A CORRUPT COUNTY HEALTH DISTRICT IN UPSTATE NEW YORK

That the Rensselaer County Health District is a model of what a corrupt health district would look in real life is undisputed as can readily be seen in the thread The Talk-1300 Report
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=139 .

The Rensselaer County Health District, with a health department that was once one of the best in the nation, is a part of this nation's failed public health infrastructure.

Thus, it makes for a good case study of the spread of COVID in a rural county some 160 miles to the north of the COVID epicenter in New York City where COVID would not be expected to be found, but obviously is, due to transmission north from New York City due to the failure of the state to lock down New York City to prevent the spread of COVID.

Here is the first alert on COVID that came from the CDC, to wit:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

This is an official CDC Health Advisory


Distributed via the CDC Health Alert Network

January 8, 2020, 1615 ET (04:15 PM ET)

CDCHAN-00424

Summary

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is closely monitoring a reported cluster of pneumonia of unknown etiology (PUE) with possible epidemiologic links to a large wholesale fish and live animal market in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China.

An outbreak investigation by local officials is ongoing in China; the World Health Organization (WHO) is the lead international public health agency.


Currently, there are no known U.S. cases nor have cases been reported in countries other than China.

CDC has established an Incident Management Structure to optimize domestic and international coordination if additional public health actions are required.

This HAN Advisory informs state and local health departments and health care providers about this outbreak and requests that health care providers ask patients with severe respiratory disease about travel history to Wuhan City.

Wuhan City is a major transportation hub about 700 miles south of Beijing with a population of more than 11 million people.

Background

According to a report from the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission, as of January 5, 2020, the national authorities in China have reported 59 patients with PUE to WHO.

The patients had symptom onset dates from December 12 through December 29, 2019.

Patients involved in the cluster reportedly have had fever, dyspnea, and bilateral lung infiltrates on chest radiograph.

Of the 59 cases, seven are critically ill, and the remaining patients are in stable condition.


No deaths have been reported and no health care providers have been reported to be ill.

The Wuhan Municipal Health Commission has not reported human-to-human transmission.

Reports indicate that some of the patients were vendors at the Wuhan South China Seafood City (South China Seafood Wholesale Market) where, in addition to seafood, chickens, bats, marmots, and other wild animals are sold, suggesting a possible zoonotic origin to the outbreak.

The market has been closed for cleaning and disinfection.

Local authorities have reported negative laboratory test results for seasonal influenza, avian influenza, adenovirus, severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV), and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) among patients associated with this cluster.

Additional laboratory testing is ongoing to determine the source of the outbreak.

Health authorities are monitoring more than 150 contacts of patients for illness.


CDC has issued a level 1 travel notice (“practice usual precautions”) for this destination. (https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/notices/wa ... onia-china).

On January 5, 2020, WHO posted an update on this situation, including an early risk assessment, which is available at: https://www.who.int/csr/don/05-january- ... n/external icon.

Recommendations for Health Care Providers

1. Providers should consider pneumonia related to the cluster for patients with severe respiratory symptoms who traveled to Wuhan since December 1, 2019 and had onset of illness within two weeks of returning, and who do not have another known diagnosis that would explain their illness.

Providers should notify infection control personnel and local and state health departments immediately if any patients meet these criteria.

State health departments should notify CDC after identifying a case under investigation by calling CDC’s Emergency Operations Center at (770) 488-7100.

2. Multiple respiratory tract specimens should be collected from persons with infections suspected to be associated with this cluster, including nasopharyngeal, nasal, and throat swabs.

Patients with severe respiratory disease also should have lower respiratory tract specimens collected, if possible.


Consider saving urine, stool, serum, and respiratory pathology specimens if available.

3. Although the etiology and transmissibility have yet to be determined, and to date, no human-to-human transmission has been reported and no health care providers have been reported ill, CDC currently recommends a cautious approach to symptomatic patients with a history of travel to Wuhan City.

Such patients should be asked to wear a surgical mask as soon as they are identified and be evaluated in a private room with the door closed.

Personnel entering the room to evaluate the patient should use contact precautions and wear an N95 disposable facepiece respirator.

For patients admitted for inpatient care, contact and airborne isolation precautions, in addition to standard precautions, are recommended until further information becomes available.


For additional information see:

https://www.cdc.gov/infectioncontrol/gu ... index.html.

This guidance will be updated as more information becomes available.

For More Information

1-800-CDC-INFO

https://www.cdc.gov/cdc-info/index.html

CDC’s Emergency Operations Center: 770-488-7100

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protects people’s health and safety by preventing and controlling diseases and injuries; enhances health decisions by providing credible information on critical health issues; and promotes healthy living through strong partnerships with local, national and international organizations.

This message was distributed to state and local health officers, state and local epidemiologists, state and local laboratory directors, public information officers, HAN coordinators, and clinician organizations.

Page last reviewed: January 8, 2020

https://emergency.cdc.gov/han/han00424.asp
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Re: COVID IN RENSSELAER COUNTY, NY - A CASE STUDY

Post by thelivyjr »


THE CAPE CHARLES MIRROR April 29, 2020 at 10:55 pm

Paul Plante says :

Yes, indeed, sad and incredibly stupid, which is a real commentary on these times we now find ourselves in, and that thought takes us back to 2 March 2020, 54 days AFTER the CDC issued a public health alert about COVID to state and local health officers, state and local epidemiologists, state and local laboratory directors, public information officers, HAN coordinators, and clinician organizations, which would have included Democratic Socialist governor of New York Andy Cuomo’s worthless health commissioner, Howie Zucker, and an article entitled “Rensselaer County Officials Working with State and Federal Officials on Coronavirus Issue,” where we were enlightened as to just how pathetically stupid the response in New York state, the epicenter of COVID in the world, really was, and how negligent and derelict Andy Cuomo and his lackey Howie Zucker really were with respect to COVID, as follows:

With confirmed cases of coronavirus in the nation and the state, Rensselaer County health officials took part in calls with the Centers for Disease Control and the New York State Department of Health regarding the issue.

At this time, there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in the county.

Federal and state health officials have termed the spread of the illness nationally and in the state as “isolated” cases.

end quotes

That is on March 2, 2020, 54 days or nearly two months AFTER the CDC issued a public health alert about COVID to state and local health officers, state and local epidemiologists, state and local laboratory directors, public information officers, HAN coordinators, and clinician organizations, which would have included Democratic Socialist governor of New York Andy Cuomo’s worthless health commissioner, Howie Zucker, that we were being told by Federal and state health officials, presumably this Fauci and the airhead Dr. Birx along with the worthless Howie Zucker, that the spread of COVID nationally and in the state were “isolated” cases, and how pathetically stupid and incompetent that makes these so-called “experts” sound.

Getting back to that article which really captures the incompetence and outright stupidity that is driving this nation’s response to COVID, we have:

“We want residents to know that our team at the Health Department is monitoring this situation closely and working with state and federal officials to share information and get updates.”

“However, there is no need for undue concern or worry,” said County Executive Steve McLaughlin.

“We have been informed that New York State remains at a low risk for coronavirus.”

end quotes

And now New York state is the epicenter of the COVID crisis, and Rensselaer County is not only swimming in COVID cases, but now has older people dying alone in their homes, which is quite understandable from the perspective of an older person, because who in their right mind wants to spend their last days on earth as a science experiment in one of Andy Cuomo’s COVID hospitals, and older people in nursing homes are dying as well, as COVID continues to spread, because federal and state health officials simply blew off COVID as something to not have to worry about.

STUPID IS AS STUPID DOES!


http://www.capecharlesmirror.com/news/s ... nity-soon/
As to what should have happened here once that CDC alert on COVID was sent out on 8 January 2020, New York State Public Health Law § 2100 as follows is our guide, to wit:

1. Every local board of health and every health officer shall guard against the introduction of such communicable diseases as are designated in the sanitary code, by the exercise of proper and vigilant medical inspection and control of all persons and things infected with or exposed to such diseases.

2. Every local board of health and every health officer may:

(a) provide for care and isolation of cases of communicable disease in a hospital or elsewhere when necessary for protection of the public health and,

(b) subject to the provisions of the sanitary code, prohibit and prevent all intercourse and communication with or use of infected premises, places and things, and require, and if necessary, provide the means for the thorough purification and cleansing of the same before general intercourse with the same or use thereof shall be allowed.

end quote

By way of example:

STATE OF NEW YORK DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Corning Tower
The Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller Empire State Plaza
Albany, New York 12237

Antonia C. Novello, M.D., M.P.H., Dr.P.H. Dennis P. Whalen Commissioner Executive Deputy Commissioner

September 2, 2003

Michael Caldwell, M.D., M.P.H.
President New York State Association of County Health Officials
Dutchess County Dept. of Health
387 Main Street Poughkeepsie, New York 12601

Re: DOH GC Opinion No.03-03 Quarantine Powers of Local Health Officers and Local Boards of Health

Dear Dr. Caldwell:

Dennis Whalen, Executive Deputy Commissioner, has asked that I respond to Dr. Lloyd Novick’s May 9, 2003 letter, seeking clarification of the authority of local health officials, particularly with regard to the power to isolate and quarantine individuals exposed to or infected with a communicable disease.

As indicated below, both local health officers and local boards of health have the power to isolate and quarantine individuals exposed to or infected with a communicable disease designated in the State Sanitary Code.


There is considerable variation among counties regarding who exercises the powers of local health officers and local boards of health.

Therefore, the general guidance provided in this letter should be supplemented by specific advice from each county’s legal advisor.

Brief Summary

A “local health officer” includes a county health commissioner; the health commissioner of a city having a population of 50,000 or more; a public health director; a county health director in counties or cities having populations of less than 150,000 according to the 1970 or subsequent federal census, but without a charter or optional or alternative form of government; and the officer of a city having a population of less than 50,000, town, village, or part-county or consolidated health district who administers and manages public health programs within such jurisdiction.

Each can exercise the powers of a local health officer.

A “local board of health” is the board of health of a county, part-county, city, village, town or consolidated health district.

In some situations a county legislature may serve as the board of health.

In villages the board of health is the board of trustees of the village; in towns the board of health is the town board.

Since the Public Health Law provides for either the abolition of certain local health districts or their continuation as a subdivision of the county, or part-county, health district, the activity and authority of town and village boards of health will vary based upon local actions taken.

In addition, under Article 9 of the State Constitution and the Municipal Home Rule Law, county charters can reallocate the administrative responsibilities of the agencies of local government among the agencies.

As a result, a county charter may give to other county agencies or bodies the powers which the Public Health Law gives to a board of health.

Given the variety of local actions that several counties may have undertaken, local health officers should consult with their own legal advisors to confirm what bodies exercise the powers of the local board of health in their jurisdictions.

The Department has no central registry of such information.

The Public Health Law requires every local board of health and every local health officer to guard against the introduction of communicable diseases designated in the State Sanitary Code by the exercise of proper and vigilant medical inspection and control of all persons and things infected with or exposed to such diseases.

The law authorizes local boards of health and local health officers to provide for the care and isolation of cases of communicable disease in a hospital or elsewhere when necessary for protection of the public health and, subject to the provisions of the State Sanitary Code, to prohibit and prevent all contact and communication with or use of infected premises, places and things, and to require, and if necessary, provide the means for their thorough cleansing before general contact and use is resumed.

The law requires health officers to investigate the circumstances and to seek a court order committing non-compliant individuals afflicted with a communicable disease to a hospital or institution established for the care of persons suffering from such communicable disease.

Pursuant to these provisions both local health officers and local boards of health have the power and primary responsibility to isolate and quarantine individuals exposed to or infected with a communicable disease designated in the State Sanitary Code.


Discussion

The term “local health officer” is defined in Public Health Law (“PHL”) § 2(j) as the “health officer of a county, part-county, city, village, town, or consolidated health district.”

A county commissioner of health has all the powers and duties of a local health officer. See PHL § 352(2).

In “unorganized” counties having a population of less than 150,000 according to the 1970 or subsequent federal census, but no charter or optional or alternative form of government, the county legislature may appoint a county health director “who shall have all the powers prescribed in section three hundred fifty-two of [the PHL]” (See PHL § 356.)

In counties of less than 250,000 population, a public health director acting with appropriate medical consultation may be employed in lieu of a commissioner of health to administer and manage public health functions in a county. See 10 NYCRR §§ 11.180 through 11.182.

The terms “health officer” or “local health officer” are defined in 10 NYCRR § 1.1(d) to mean and include “the health officer, or other officer of a municipality, by whatever title he [sic] may be known, having the usual powers and duties of a health officer of a municipality.”

The term “local health officer” is more clearly defined in 10 NYCRR § 11.1 to mean (1) the commissioner of health of a county or a city having a population of 50,000 or more and having an established health department; (2) a public health director; (3) a county health director appointed pursuant to PHL § 356 in “unorganized” counties having a population of less than 150,000 according to the 1970 or subsequent federal census, but no charter or optional or alternative form of government; and (4) the officer of a city having a population of less than 50,000, town, village or consolidated health district who administers and manages public health programs within such jurisdiction and who has the general powers and duties specified in the PHL.

Each can exercise the powers of a local health officer.

As to local boards of health, as a general proposition, the boards of health of all county and part-county health districts have the same powers and duties.

The board of health in a county or part-county health district created under PHL § 340 has the powers set forth in PHL § 347, et seq., including the powers and duties of a local board of health.

See PHL § 308.

PHL § 356 designates the legislatures of certain small counties (“unorganized” counties having a population of less than 150,000 according to the 1970 or subsequent federal census, but no charter or optional or alternative form of government) as the local board of health and provides that they, too, “shall have all the powers and duties of a board of health of a county or part-county health district.”

A differentiation among powers exercised by county boards of health arises when they respond to local conditions, such as the availability of resources or enactment of charters.

PHL § 602(6) permits the State Commissioner of Health to approve a public health services plan in which the county provides reduced services, as long as the services the county does not provide can be provided by the State or through contract.

This can result in “partial service” health departments in which state district offices provide some services within a county.

Similarly, PHL § 341 provides for either the abolition of certain local health districts or their continuation within a county or part-county health district as a subdivision of the county or part-county health district.

Thus, in one county the town and village boards of health may be active participants in public health while a different county or part-county health district may be more centralized.

In villages the board of health is the board of trustees of the village; in towns the board of health is the town board. See PHL § 302.

PHL § 356 does not address the relationship between a county board of health created under its terms and pre-existing town and village boards of health.

Therefore, such preexisting town and village boards of health might have greater autonomy in county and part-county health districts governed by PHL § 356 than they would in county and part-county health districts formed under PHL § 340.

In addition, under Article 9 of the State Constitution and the Municipal Home Rule Law, county charters can reallocate the administrative responsibilities of local government agencies.

As a result, a charter may give the county legislature or some other local agency powers which the PHL gives to a board of health.

The scope and exercise of that power would, of course, be subject to any provisions of the PHL or State Sanitary Code.

The Department does not maintain a summary of county charter provisions.

Given the variety of possible local actions that several counties may have undertaken, the county commissioners and public health directors should consult with their own legal advisors to confirm what bodies exercise the powers of the local board of health.

The Department has no central registry of such information.

With regard to the power to isolate and quarantine, PHL § 2100 states:

1. Every local board of health and every health officer shall guard against the introduction of such communicable diseases as are designated in the sanitary code, by the exercise of proper and vigilant medical inspection and control of all persons and things infected with or exposed to such diseases.

2. Every local board of health and every health officer may:

(a) provide for care and isolation of cases of communicable disease in a hospital or elsewhere when necessary for protection of the public health and,

(b) subject to the provisions of the sanitary code, prohibit and prevent all intercourse and communication with or use of infected premises, places and things, and require, and if necessary, provide the means for the thorough purification and cleansing of the same before general intercourse with the same or use thereof shall be allowed.

In addition, PHL § 2120 requires health officers, upon receipt of a complaint from a physician that a person is afflicted with a communicable disease and is unable or unwilling to conduct himself and to live in such a manner as not to expose members of his family or household or other persons with whom he may be associated to danger of infection, to investigate the circumstances and to seek a court order committing the individual to a hospital or institution established for the care of persons suffering from such communicable disease.


Pursuant to these provisions both local health officers and local boards of health have the power to isolate and quarantine individuals exposed to or infected with a communicable disease designated in the State Sanitary Code.

The State Sanitary Code places the primary responsibility for such isolation and quarantine on local health officers, see 10 NYCRR §§ 2.6, 2.25(d), (e) and (f), and 2.29.

I also want to take this opportunity to confirm the New York State Department of Health’s position that local health officers and local boards of health may quarantine and isolate only patients infected with or exposed to communicable diseases determined to be dangerous to the public health by the New York State Public Health Council and listed in 10 NYCRR § 2.1.

We understand that local health officers are concerned that they be able to respond quickly to communicable disease threats in their communities.

By authorizing the State Commissioner of Health to add diseases to the communicable disease list in 10 NYCRR § 2.1 between its meetings, the Public Health Council has assured that expeditious response will be possible.

The Department looks forward to continuing to work effectively and collaboratively with local health officers to meet the challenges of communicable disease control.

Very truly yours,

Donald P. Berens, Jr.
General Counsel

cc: Dennis Whalen
Dr. Lloyd Novick
JoAnn Bennison
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Re: COVID IN RENSSELAER COUNTY, NY - A CASE STUDY

Post by thelivyjr »

Rensselaer County

"Rensselaer County Officials Working with State and Federal Officials on Coronavirus Issue"


3/2/20

With confirmed cases of coronavirus in the nation and the state, Rensselaer County health officials took part in calls with the Centers for Disease Control and the New York State Department of Health regarding the issue.

At this time, there are no confirmed cases of coronavirus in the county.

Federal and state health officials have termed the spread of the illness nationally and in the state as “isolated” cases.


“We want residents to know that our team at the Health Department is monitoring this situation closely and working with state and federal officials to share information and get updates."

"However, there is no need for undue concern or worry,” said County Executive Steve McLaughlin.

“We have been informed that New York State remains at a low risk for coronavirus."

"While we are at a low risk, residents are advised to take simple but effective steps to reduce exposure to all communicable diseases,” said Public Health Director Maryfran Wachunas.


There are several things residents can do to limit exposure to the flu and other communicable diseases:

1. Follow CDC Travel guidelines and limit travel to affected areas;

2. Practice appropriate personal hygiene – wash your hands often;

3. If you are ill – practice respiratory etiquette- Cough and sneeze into the elbow or tissues, not directly into the air or your hands;

4. Voluntarily isolate yourself if you are sick – you won’t spread your illness if you remain home while ill- regardless of the respiratory illness.

Keep in mind that even if you are somewhat resilient and have mild symptoms… those same symptoms could be much more severe in colleagues, coworkers and others you come in contact with;

5. If you have travel history or potential exposure based upon criteria set by the CDC contact your local health department and agree to a self-quarantine if deemed appropriate by the LHD;

6. Wipe down commonly used surfaces such as door knob, light switches, faucet knobs used by the public to limit exposures.

“Our Health Department is doing a solid job monitoring this situation and residents can be assured that we will be providing updates and news as needed,” said McLaughlin.

https://www.rensco.com/press/3-2-20-ren ... rus-issue/
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Re: COVID IN RENSSELAER COUNTY, NY - A CASE STUDY

Post by thelivyjr »

GOTHAMIST

"Albany's Dead-Of-Night Coronavirus Vote Gives Cuomo Sweeping New Emergency Powers"


By Ross Barkan

March 5, 2020 11:11 a.m.

In the wee hours of Tuesday morning, the state legislature approved $40 million in emergency funding to help contain the COVID-19 outbreak in New York.

Buried within the legislation is a provision that has alarmed progressive lawmakers and advocates: an extraordinary, broad, and little-understood expansion of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s emergency powers.

“I’m scared or concerned because I don’t know what the governor has in mind,” said Assembly member Richard Gottfried, the longtime chair of his chamber’s health committee.


With the support of both legislative leaders, the emergency funding bill overwhelmingly passed the Democrat-controlled Assembly and State Senate.

Andrea Stewart-Cousins, the Senate Majority Leader, and Carl Heastie, the Speaker of the State Assembly, pushed for its passage, overriding the concerns of the health committee chairs in both chambers.

Cuomo did not offer a detailed explanation of his push to expand his emergency powers, telling reporters that “these are uncharted territories” and that “government has to respond.”

The whole process was rushed, in typical Albany fashion.


Word came Monday afternoon that legislation would be coming to the floor from the governor’s office, Gottfried said.

The state’s health commissioner, Howard Zucker, had met with Assembly Democrats for a briefing, making no mention of the need of additional emergency powers.

The Assembly and Senate hardly debated the bill.

It passed both houses after midnight, with little time to read it or seek outside counsel.


The Senate approved the measure 53-4, while the Assembly voted 120 to 12 in favor.

Though New York law already allows Cuomo to suspend provisions of any state or local statute that would delay in coping with a declared disaster, the new measure goes further, broadening the definition of disaster from a “past occurrence” to something that is “impending.”

The new law specifically added “disease outbreak” to a list of triggering events alongside “epidemic,” and gives Cuomo new power to issue directives “necessary to cope with” a broad list of potential disasters, from tornados to cyberattacks to volcanic eruptions.

The definition of disasters is general enough that critics fear Cuomo, a governor who already enjoys aggressively wielding executive power, can abuse the new law in a wide array of circumstances to override existing law.

“It’s a reckless expansion of executive power,” said State Senator Julia Salazar, a Brooklyn Democrat who voted against the bill.


In a statement, the New York Civil Liberties Union compared the new law to anti-terrorism provisions passed after 9/11 that were never used to prosecute terrorism.

“We should not repeat the mistakes of 20 years ago."

"While the legislature should move expeditiously to fund and support the necessary public health response, nothing requires them to expand executive power without adequate consideration for the need or the potential consequences,” the NYCLU said.

Part of the challenge of understanding the expansion is the lack of specificity in the bill language.

Since the governor already has expansive emergency powers, adding more could theoretically justify all kinds of maneuvers, like the declaration of martial law, unilateral travel restrictions, and mass quarantines.

The limits are largely unknown.


Assemblymember Yuh-Line Niou, a Manhattan Democrat, said Cuomo’s expansion of emergency powers deeply concerned her as an Asian-American legislator.

“One of my mentors was born inside an internment camp,” Niou said in an emotional Instagram video, referring to the unlawful detention of Japanese-American citizens during World War II.

“I have an innate fear of what would happen if we allow our government to be able to weaponize fear and to be able to make a directive and have the power to order private citizens to do something without any checks and balances.”

As far as Gottfried understands, Cuomo’s new emergency powers would allow the governor to override the due process the people who are quarantined are entitled to under existing law, like a person being required to see a judge after being arrested for violating an order.

“Those are valuable safeguards,” Gottfried said.

“As best as I can tell, the new law does away with them if the governor chooses to.”


The law has a sunset provision and the legislature will have to renew it in a year.

It’s unclear if Cuomo would push for a renewal.

The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“We don’t fully understand the implications of the new powers versus the old ones,” said John Kaehny, the executive director of the good government group Reinvent Albany.

“We have not had time to analyze its full scope.”

Kaehny compared the new expansion of emergency powers to another that is quietly up for renewal Thursday: Cuomo’s declaration of emergency over the subway system.

The 2017 declaration, made when the subway system was breaking down at an alarming rate, allowed the MTA to bypass environmental and anti-corruption safeguards when seeking new contracts to do work.

Under the emergency declaration, the MTA is currently allowed to bypass the competitive bidding process entirely and oversight from the state comptroller’s office.

The improving subway service hasn’t led to the removal of the emergency declaration.

Gottfried, who has served in the legislature since the 1970s, said he was perplexed because no governor had ever asked him to expand emergency powers during previous crises, whether it was the AIDS epidemic of the 1980’s, the response to Hurricane Sandy, or the 2014 Ebola outbreak.

“The governor and health commissioner never asked for anything like that, never said their hands were tied.”
#andrew cuomo #coronavirus #richard gottfried #COVID-19

Gothamist is a website about New York City news, arts and events, and food, brought to you by New York Public Radio.

https://gothamist.com/news/ny-coronavir ... ncy-powers
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Re: COVID IN RENSSELAER COUNTY, NY - A CASE STUDY

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FOLLOWING THAT ALERT TO NEW YORK PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS BY THE CDC, THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED NEXT IN THE CHAIN OF EVENTS LEADING UP TO TODAY WITH RESPECT TO THE RAPID SPREAD OF COVID INTO UPSTATE NEW YORK GENERALLY, AND RENSSELAER COUNTY SPECIFICALLY, TO WIT:

THE NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

"Trump and Cuomo accuse each other of not doing enough to combat coronavirus: ‘Do something!’"


Denis Slattery, Chris Sommerfeldt

16 MARCH 2020

President Trump and Gov. Cuomo turned the coronavirus crisis into a political punching bag Monday, accusing each other of not doing enough to combat the fast-spreading pandemic.

After wrapping up a conference call with the nation’s 50 governors, Trump said the talk went “very well” but added one caveat.

“Cuomo of New York has to ‘do more,’” Trump tweeted without elaborating.

Cuomo was quick to punch back.

“I have to do more?"

"No — YOU have to do something!"

"You’re supposed to be the president,” the governor posted in response.

It was not immediately clear what prompted the social media beef, but Cuomo has repeatedly called on Trump to send in the Army Corps of Engineers to help turn military bases or college dorms in New York into temporary medical centers because the state’s hospitals may soon become overwhelmed with coronavirus patients.

Cuomo sent an open letter to Trump Sunday asking for assistance before the state’s hospitals are overrun.

“You will have people on gurneys in hallways,” Cuomo said during a press conference in Albany Monday morning.

“That is what is going to happen now if we do nothing."

"That is what is going to happen now if we do nothing."

"And that, my friends, will be a tragedy.”

The governor announced Monday that bars, restaurants, movie theaters, gyms and casinos across the state will be closed for the foreseeable future in an attempt to slow the spread of COVID-19.

The regulations, also being enacted in neighboring New Jersey and Connecticut, are Cuomo’s attempt at a regional approach to combating the disease amid what he calls “a lack of federal direction.”

“I want federal guidance,” Cuomo said.

“This is a national pandemic, but there are no national rules.”

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/trump- ... id=HPDHP17
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Re: COVID IN RENSSELAER COUNTY, NY - A CASE STUDY

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THE NEXT THING TO HAPPEN IN THE CHAIN OF EVENTS LEADING TO THE SPREAD OF COVID FROM ITS EPICENTER IN NEW YORK CITY TO RURAL UPSTATE NEW YORK AND RENSSELAER COUNTY IS AS FOLLOWS:

NEWSWEEK

"New York Governor Dismisses Rumors About NYC Quarantine, Says 'I Have No Interest'"


By Jenni Fink

On 3/17/20 at 12:07 PM EDT

As New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio floated the possibility of a "shelter in place" order, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo denied that a full-blown lockdown of the Big Apple was looming.

China, Italy, Spain and France have implemented lockdown measures to prevent people from spreading the virus outside certain areas.

New York state has had the largest outbreak of cases in the U.S. and rumors of officials locking down New York City have been swirling for days, causing some to leave the city or stockpile supplies.

On Tuesday, Cuomo adamantly dismissed the rumors, saying they were "not true" and were being fueled by people's fears and anxieties.


He claimed that it cannot happen legally because implementing a quarantine would require state approval and he has "no interest" and "no plan" to quarantine any city in the state because he does not want to incite panic.

"So that's a deep breath moment," Cuomo said.

"You say all of New York you must shelter in place, I'll go stay with my cousin in New Jersey," Cuomo added.

"That makes the situation worse, not better."

Earlier in the day, De Blasio told CNN that he was "absolutely considering" a shelter in place order for New York City and that officials were looking at "all other options."

The measure would bar people from leaving their homes and is one that six counties in California have already taken.

While resistant to "nothing," when it comes to controlling the spread of the virus, the governor advocated for state-wide policies and even regional policies.

On Monday, New York, New Jersey and Connecticut banned gatherings of 50 people or more, closed gyms, theaters and casinos and limited restaurants and bars to take out and delivery service.

Non-essential businesses, such as grocery stores and pharmacies, were advised to close before 8 p.m. and everyone was advised to stay home whenever possible.

Although restaurants and bars are now unable to serve people inside their restaurant, the State Liquor Authority eased restrictions, now allowing establishments to sell alcohol for delivery orders.

This would hopefully alleviate some of the economic burden of the business restrictions, Cuomo said, but he acknowledged that after the public health crisis subsides, attention will have to be paid to the economy.

Cuomo acknowledged that some people used the containment measures taken in New Rochelle, New York, as proof a quarantine could happen.

However, he said the "containment zone" did not actually contain people because it didn't prohibit anyone from coming or going, it just closed places where large gatherings occurred.

The use of the word "containment," he said, was in reference to the virus.


Before moving to sweeping regulations isolating people in their homes, additional actions would restrict businesses.

"There are many, many steps before you go to limiting an individual's mobility," Cuomo said.

"You would reduce business operations beyond the central business operations."

"That would be the initial calibration but we're not there either."

https://www.newsweek.com/new-york-city- ... es-1492758
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Re: COVID IN RENSSELAER COUNTY, NY - A CASE STUDY

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WRGB 6

"Troy man tests positive for coronavirus, first in Rensselaer County"


by Heather Kovar

Tuesday, March 17th 2020

TROY, NY (WRGB) Rensselaer County now officially has its first confirmed case of Coronavirus, a 35-year-old resident of Troy.

The County Executive announced all public and private schools there would close by Wednesday.

Back in October of last year, we told you how CDPHP rolled out it’s “ER anywhere” telemedicine app for Medicare patients in Rensselaer County, a first in the nation.

At that time, the creator, United Concierge Medicine of Troy, told CBS 6 it was keeping 93-percent of users from going to the ER.

“Now it is massively important."

"Rensselaer County, first county in the entire country to offer tele medicine,” said Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin.

Back then it was open to CDPhP Medicaid patients.

McLaughlin says at the time they were focused on New York states six- billion dollar budget gap, which he says four billion was Medicaid.

He thought this was a way to help.

“That has now morphed and we are expanding this thing nationwide rapidly.”

From October 2019 to the end of February of this year, Er Anywhere had 97 consultations.

In the first two weeks of March, so far there have been 30.

These numbers are expected to spike drastically as it is promoted as a first line assessment for Coronavirus.

On Monday,they rolled this out to all CDPHP members at no cost.

“They can diagnose really well through telemedicine, which is going to alleviate the stress and pressure on our emergency rooms and on those testing centers,” said Mclaughlin.

Also Monday, MVP Health Care rolled myERnow, also powered by United Concierge Medicine of Troy, free of charge to its clients.

The Virtual ER platforms are expected to utilize the latest technology combined with a highly trained Emergency Medicine team ready to address COVID-19 symptoms and potential cases all by using a mobile device and not leaving your home.

CDPHP members can download the app on their smartphone, or simply call 1-800-ER-ANYWHERE to be connected to a live, emergency medicine provider, or visit www.cdphp.com/ERAnywhere.

MVP Health Care members can call 1-833-myERnow, or visit www.mvphealthcare.com/myERnow to be connected to a live, emergency medicine provider.

MVP Health Care and CDPHP are also reminding members of the following:

COVID-19 diagnostic tests prescribed by doctors will be covered in full.

There will be no prior authorization for COVID-19 testing.

Now is also a good time for members who have mail order benefits to consider ordering a 90-day supply of medications.

https://cbs6albany.com/news/coronavirus ... aer-county
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Re: COVID IN RENSSELAER COUNTY, NY - A CASE STUDY

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SPECTRUM NEWS 9

"Rens­selaer County After Fifth Confirmed Case: Col­lab­o­ration Key in Contact In­ves­ti­ga­tions"


By Spectrum News Staff Rensselaer County

PUBLISHED 3:55 PM ET Mar. 18, 2020

A total of five Rensselaer County residents have now tested positive for COVID-19, County Executive Steve McLaughlin said Wednesday afternoon.

Rensselaer County Health Commissioner Mary Fran Wachunas said the newest case is a 25-year-old student from Troy.

Other cases are a 70-year-old from East Greenbush; a 35-year-old from Troy; and a 30-year-old and 26-year-old in Brunswick.

The health commissioner stressed how different entities need to collaborate when they are investigating who may have come into contact with someone who tested positive.

"We really can't stress enough that we need to work together, counties and schools, when there is a positive case," Wachunas said.

"While that person's being identified, we have to work on those contact lists."

County officials also implored people on social media to avoid spreading rumors, and instead to rely on official information coming out of the county.

"A lot of rumors [on social media]."

"Stop with the 'I heards.'"

"It's not helpful."

"If you don't hear it from us or the governor's office, assume it's not true," McLaughlin said.

https://spectrumlocalnews.com/nys/capit ... rus-update
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Re: COVID IN RENSSELAER COUNTY, NY - A CASE STUDY

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AND ONCE THE POLITICIANS LIKE ANDY CUOMO OF NEW YORK AND STEVE MCLAUGHLIN OF RENSSELAER COUNTY STARTED MEDDLING WHERE THEY DID NOT BELONG, THE COVID BALL STARTED ROLLING RAPIDLY DOWNHILL AS FOLLOWS:

NEWS10 ABC

"5 test positive for COVID-19 in Rensselaer Co."


Local

Posted: Mar 18, 2020 / 03:20 PM EDT / Updated: Mar 18, 2020 / 05:46 PM EDT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – County Executive Steve McLaughlin and Health Director Mary Fran Wachunas will hold a media availability today at 3:30 p.m. to answer and provide updates on the county’s response to coronavirus.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Rensselaer County has reported 5 cases of COVID-19.


https://www.news10.com/news/local-news/ ... t-330-p-m/
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Re: COVID IN RENSSELAER COUNTY, NY - A CASE STUDY

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AFTER ANDY CUOMO REFUSED TO LOCK DOWN NEW YORK CITY, THIS IS THE NEXT EVENT IN THE CHAIN, TO WIT:

"Rensselaer County investigates La Salle student with coronavirus - County said it had no idea student tested positive until school sent out notification"


By Wendy Liberatore and Michael Williams, Albany, New York Times Union

Updated 8:31 pm EDT, Wednesday, March 18, 2020

TROY - Rensselaer County is investigating how a La Salle Institute student, who tested positive for the coronavirus, was able to attend school and possibly infect students, faculty and staff around him, said county Bureau of Central Services Director Jim Gordon.

Gordon said the student's father also tested positive for the coronavirus, but the Rensselear County Health Department was not notified.


Instead, the family, who lives in Clifton Park, contacted the Saratoga County Health Department.

Gordon said Rensselaer Health Director Mary Fran Wachunas knew nothing about the case until the school sent out a notification to the prep school's community.

That notification was forwarded to the county Monday night.

Gordon said they don't know when either was diagnosed, or how many people the student might have come in contact with.

La Salle and Saratoga County did not respond to attempts to contact them.

It's not clear when the student tested positive for the virus.

During a press conference Wednesday, Wachunas and County Executive Steve McLaughlin both called for increased communication and transparency from any entity that learns about a coronavirus exposure.

"We really can't stress enough that we really need to work together — counties and schools — when there is a positive case, we have to step back a little bit, figure out what student it is, where they live, what residence, what health department, and then work with the school on how we're going to message that to parents," Wachunas said.

Time is crucial, she said.

Delays mean the county can't quickly notify those who may have come in contact with an infected person.

McLaughlin said everybody is learning as the virus continues to spread.

"I think this is a learn-as-you-go process, and everybody has that want to do their job and get that notification out to protect as many people as you can," McLaughlin said.


"But there are certain things that need to fall into place when we have that positive."

"We want to make sure that we’ve got our arms around it, and that we start our notification circle right away."

La Salle, a private Catholic school for boys in grades six to 12, has since closed and is holding remote classes only.

Andrew Weber, a Greenwich father who sends his two sons to La Salle said he's concerned, but not overly.

He also said that the school did not instruct his family to self-quarantine, nor did the school tell them when the student, who was on the baseball team, tested positive.

He said neither of his sons know the student.

He also believes the spread is inevitable.

"It's coming closer to all of our communities," Weber said.

https://www.timesunion.com/news/article ... 140512.php
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