While the local COVID-19 case numbers are a bit lower lately, they are still much higher than in early January, or last summer, or in the early days of the pandemic. Officials are now in a race between vaccination shots, and the spread of much more contagious variants of the virus. Since Feb. 9 coronavirus cases in Ulster County have dropped from 2,331 to 1,878 cases. Those numbers are similar to mid-January, but much lower than recent weeks. On Feb. 14 Gov. Andrew Cuomo said that 102,907 first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered in the last 24 hours. “We remain locked in a footrace between the infection rate and the vaccination rate, and while we are making significant progress on both fronts thanks to the hard work of New Yorkers, but can’t become complacent – now is not the time to get cocky with COVID,” Cuomo said. Ulster County reported 43 new cases on Feb. 14. Columbia County reported eight new cases Feb. 13, and 24 new cases Feb. 12. Greene County reported seven new cases Feb. 12, but do not report numbers to the public on the weekends. Rensselaer County reported 41 new COVID-19 cases Feb. 14, and one more death. Albany County announced 101 more cases Feb. 14.