There were no fireworks—the celebratory kind—but good words all around Friday when Heath Director Amy Gildemeister ran through COVID stats for Schoharie County supervisors.
Only two supervisors were masked—a couple of others were missing—and with the exception of the Department of Motor Vehicles for now, if you’ve received a COVID vaccination, there are no longer any restrictions in place at the County Office Building.
Last June, supervisors were meeting virtually.
Friday, “This is so much nicer,” Chairman Bill Federice of Conesville said. “It’s a big step toward going back to normal.
“There’s still a lot of work to do in administering vaccines, but it’s a whole lot better than it was a couple of months ago. Anyone who wants a vaccine can get one.”
And the numbers are good, Dr. Gildemeister said.
Schoharie County has some of the region’s best stats when it comes to the number of COVID cases—1,692, with as of Friday, no new cases for the last 10 days--and COVID fatalities—17.
“We were among the lowest in the region and contiguous counties when it came to the percentage of people contracting COVID and for those who did, we had by far the lowest death rate—one percent. That’s remarkable,” Dr. Gildemeister said.
The percentage of the Schoharie County population with documented cases of COVID was 5.4 percent.
It was 5.8 percent in Otsego County, 8 percent in Albany County, and 8.5 percent in Schenectady County.
The percentage of fatal COVID cases was 1.4 percent in Otsego and Albany Counties, and 1.6 percent in Schenectady County.
One factor in those numbers, Dr. Gildemeister said, is that there are no nursing homes here.
But it’s also because “we were able to keep our numbers low as long as possible last summer and fall, into the holiday season, giving hospitals time to adjust and doctors time to figure out how to treat the virus.”
A case in point is a local man in his 40s who spent several months hospitalized and intubated.
“We were very concerned,” Dr. Gildemeister said, but he’s now home.
Statistically, she said, the county had 32 fewer deaths than what would have been expected.
“We should be very, very proud of ourselves,” she said. “We did a good job.
Now Dr.Gildesmeister said, they’re turning their attention to helping SUNY Cobleskill and local schools prepare for fall.
They’re also continuing their vaccination efforts, though that has slowed down as well.
About 55 percent of the county aged 18 and older has had at least one dose of a COVID vaccine, she said.
Sorted by zip code—because that’s the way the state records the numbers—North Blenheim with a 100 percent vaccination rate, West Fulton with 75 percent, and Summit with 72 percent are the county leaders.
Central Bridge, Carlisle, Howes Cave, Esperance and Warnerville are at about a 50 percent vaccination rate; numbers in Sharon Springs, Fultonham, Richmondville, Charlotteville, and Cobleskill are considered low.
There are some difficulties in tracking vaccination numbers, though; Dr. Gildemeister said SUNY Cobleskill students are likely skewing Cobleskill’s poor numbers; if they aren’t included, she said, that rate jumps to 80 percent.
They’re able to include some numbers from outside the county, she said, but not vaccines given through the Veterans’ Administration—which vaccinates vets, spouses, and their caregivers.
Vaccination efforts will now likely pivot to events like the Cobleskill Fair and local concert series.
“I’m very proud of our department. It was a very difficult year and a half,” Dr. Gildemeister said.
Mr. Federice agreed.
“Our hats are off to you,” he said. “It was a very hard and difficult situation.”