Rachel Silberstein reports in the Times Union about the high levels of COVID-19 in Albany, Rensselaer, Greene, and Columbia counties. New York is seeing high levels of the virus, "at a time when pandemic-era safety measures have all but disappeared, with masking gone by the wayside, mass vaccination sites closed and some data tracking — such as cases in schools — eliminated," Silberstein writes. Albany County Health Commissioner Dr. Elizabeth Whalen said wastewater surveillance also shows high levels of COVID-19, with the state's waste monitoring system showing high levels of the virus in 99 percent of counties. "We remain concerned about COVID-19 transmission especially as we enter the viral respiratory season, and encourage all residents to ensure they are up to date with vaccine prevention for COVID including the bivalent booster dose, which offers protection against the highly contagious omicron variants," Whalen said. "We also encourage flu vaccination at this time of year." New York Department of Health spokesperson Monica Pomeroy said, "There continues to be a correlation between lack of vaccinations or boosters and negative health outcomes related to COVID-19, which is why the New York state Department of Health continues to encourage all eligible New Yorkers to get the latest bivalent booster or to complete their initial vaccine series as soon as possible." Read the full story in the Times Union.