This weekend local new COVID-19 case counts are at record numbers, with deaths increasing. In Columbia County there were 172 more cases announced Jan. 6, and 188 more and another death announced Jan. 7. In Greene County, officials reported 215 more cases and one more death on Jan. 6, and 108 more cases Jan. 7. Meanwhile in Ulster County, officials reported a surge in COVID-19 cases with 509 more cases than the day before, and a total above 4,400 for the first time since the pandemic began in March 2020. Ulster County also reported two more deaths on Jan. 7. Dutchess County, on the other hand, had a decline in both coronavirus cases and hospitalizations. But Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro the dip in numbers there is “not a trend.... We do expect cases to continue to grow,” Molinaro said. “We might experience a bit of a break, not much, before we experience cases associated with New Year’s Eve celebrations and interactions.” Molinaro said hospitalizations in Dutchess are still at, “a number that is obviously of concern and is putting stress on the hospital systems throughout the Hudson Valley.” And many of those cases are young people. Nineteen percent of the cases in Dutchess County are among 20- to 29-year-olds, with 17 percent between 30- to 39-years-old. And in Albany County, officials announced another death Jan. 7, a resident in his 90s. Albany County officials also announced 939 new positive cases. That is a giant number, but a slight decrease from the record high of 1,010 reported on Jan. 6. Also, the number of hospitalized coronavirus patients in Albany County has doubled since Christmas, with 102 county residents in a hospital Jan. 7 with coronavirus, and 16 patients are in intensive care. “Unfortunately, the number of our residents in ICUs with the virus is trending up as well, now at the highest level since February 12,” said Albany County Executive Dan McCoy.