Shaniece Holmes-Brown reports in the Times Union that Albany County officials announced Dec. 28 277 new coronavirus cases there, almost double the 141 reported on Dec. 27. That comes as 13.4 percent of New Yorkers tested positive for coronavirus. Locally, the test results are a little better, but not much. The seven-day average test positivity rate is at 12.9 percent in Greene County, 11.4 percent in Columbia County, and 9.9 percent in Albany County. There, Albany County Health Commissioner Dr. Elizabeth Whalen confirmed that "(w)e are seeing a sharp uptick in cases likely due to the highly transmissible omicron variant.... It is therefore likely that the steep upward trajectory of cases will continue through the first few weeks of January and possibly beyond that," she said. Albany County Executive Dan McCoy reported that of the 61 people hospitalized Dec. 28 with the virus, 59 percent were not vaccinated. “We know that getting the shot helps fight COVID-19 and if there are breakthrough cases, symptoms are often less severe and may keep you out of the hospital,” McCoy said. Meanwhile, Columbia County reported 44 new COVID-19 cases and one more death Dec. 27, and 103 more cases on Dec. 28. Greene County reported 132 more cases on Dec. 27, and 62 new cases and one more death on Dec. 28. Read more about this story in the Times Union.