Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge for Columbia-Greene Media writes that Columbia County over the weekend reported multiple cases of COVID-19 at a nursing home facility and at a school. There were 13 positive COVID-19 cases at Pine Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Philmont and two cases at the Ichabod Crane Primary School in Valatie. Department of Health Director Jack Mabb said Sept. 13 that 10 residents and three staff members at Pine Haven caught coronavirus. “All of the residents were vaccinated and none of them are seriously ill at this point,” Mabb said. Pine Haven officials did not call the newspaper back to comment. “Pine Haven is very responsive," Mabb said. “They call us back, they talk to us on a regular basis and they are very aggressive about getting people tested.” In Valatie, meanwhile, a student and a teacher at the Ichabod Crane Primary School tested positive for COVID-19. The teacher began teaching from home, and the class has been quarantined. Ichabod Crane Superintendent Suzanne Guntlow said, “We made the decision to quarantine the class just to give them time to make sure there’s no further spread within that one room." The teacher had been vaccinated, but the student was too young to receive a dose. “It does seem that this variant, like they’ve been saying, it does seem to spread to children more readily,” Guntlow said. “Last year we didn’t see this many cases the first week of school. Everything we’ve been hearing is that it’s more contagious and children do catch it. Based on the first week of school that seems to be the case.” Read more about this story at HudsonValley360.com.