Mike Goodwin reports in the Times Union that COVID-19 hospitalizations in Albany County have reached the same levels as February, when few people were vaccinated. Officials in Albany County said Dec. 15 there were 66 county residents in hospitals, a number last seen on Feb. 20. Most of those hospitalized are unvaccinated. “The best weapons in our arsenal to beat back this pandemic and keep people safe are vaccinations and booster shots, and that continues to be demonstrated in the latest data we have. Of the 66 county residents currently in the hospital with COVID, 70 percent are not vaccinated, three percent are partially vaccinated and only 27 percent are fully vaccinated,” Albany County Executive Dan McCoy said in a prepared statement. “In the latest sign that COVID-19 is still a threat, we’ve returned to reporting new daily infections above 200 in Albany County, and sadly, we now have the most county residents hospitalized with the virus at one time since Feb. 20. Hospitalizations will likely increase in the days ahead as we continue to feel the post-Thanksgiving surge of COVID cases and head towards more holidays at the end of the month.” Read more about this story in the Times Union.