Natasha Vaughn-Holdridge is reporting for Columbia-Greene Media staff at the Pine Haven Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Philmont are keeping an eye on an outbreak of COVID-19 cases. The Columbia County Department of Health announced the positive cases at the facility on Fri., Dec. 3. “Nine residents and seven staff have tested positive, and all of them are vaccinated,” Pine Haven spokesperson Geoff Thompson said. “This week they will be getting their booster shots as well. A pharmacy is coming in to do that.” Two of the residents are in the hospital and six staff members are out because of their protocols, which specify how long after testing positive a staff member must stay out of the facility. “The symptoms seem to be less severe than in the past, now that people are vaccinated it’s kind of like a bad cold,” Thompson said. The facility believes the virus came in through a visitation a few days before Thanksgiving. Staff members and residents are tested weekly, Thompson said. Prior to this outbreak it had been several months since the facility had a positive COVID-19 case. “The vaccines really do appear to be having a positive effect, ...” Thompson said. “What they did, and what all the nursing homes are doing, is that anyone who ends up positive they are concentrated in a certain area,” Columbia County Department of Health Director Jack Mabb said. “So far so good. We haven’t had any additional positives over there.” The Grand Rehabilitation and Nursing at Barnwell had two positive cases recently, Mabb said. The entire county has been experiencing an increase in the number of positive cases it is seeing. “We had 57 on Saturday, which is a big number for us,” Mabb said on Mon., Dec. 6. “And we had 52 today, which actually encompasses Sunday and today. I think this is Thanksgiving, we’re near the end now of the typical 11-day run." Read the full story at HudsonValley360 [dot] com.