Shaniece Holmes-Brown reports in the Times Union that Albany County announced another COVID-19 death Nov. 20, as case counts around the region have risen dramatically this week. Nationally, case counts across the country have risen 30 percent in the last two weeks. In, Albany County announced 131 more coronavirus cases Nov. 19, the fourth straight day with new infections over 100. Albany County only said that the latest death was a man in his 60s. “I continue to stress how important it is that everyone follow CDC recommendations to mask when indoors, stay six feet apart, wash your hands frequently and cough and sneeze into your arm to help prevent the spread,” McCoy said. “We also need more people to get vaccinated and to get their boosters, especially as we start the holiday season. No one wants holiday gatherings to turn into super spreader events.” Greene County announced 54 new cases on Nov. 19, in a week with rising numbers there: 34 new cases Nov. 15, 21 more cases Nov. 16, and 25 more cases Nov. 17. Columbia County announced on Nov. 17 38 new cases, 50 more on Nov. 19, and and another 33 new cases on Nov. 20. In Saratoga County, a family of four all recently contracted the disease. The mother and one son were vaccinated, and recovered. The father and another son were not vaccinated, and died. “It’s a cautionary tale that I don’t want to accentuate,” Julie Martin said. “My husband and son were vaccine-hesitant.... They didn’t have any physical health problems and they were not at particular risk.” On Nov. 19 the Centers for Disease Control announced booster shots are now available for anyone who got their Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna coronavirus vaccines at least six months ago. Pfizer is also asking the Food and Drug Administration to authorize its antiviral pill to treat unvaccinated people with COVID-19 who are at high risk of becoming severely ill, the company said earlier in the week. The new drug, Paxlovid, could be available within weeks if authorization is granted. Read more about this story in the Times Union.