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Burgh/North Countryman
May 2, 2020
suncommunitynews.com
• EDITION •
Serving the frontline Valcour Brewing’s GoFundMe delivers meals to key workers New York State Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul
File photo
Hochul: No definite date to reopen North Country By Joshua Miner CONTRIBUTING WRITER
PLATTSBURGH | New York Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul explained the implications of reopening the region last Wednesday during a Town Hall “tele-call” with the North Country Chamber of Commerce, stating that while cases of COVID-19 remain low here, it is still too soon to set a definitive date for local businesses and schools to open. “We are unveiling a strategy,” Hochul said. “We just don’t have the answer on dates yet.” With recent pop-up tests at Plattsburgh’s Market 32 and across the state, Hochul said they will now begin to have an idea just how widespread this virus is throughout New York. At a press briefi ng held last Thursday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo unveiled t he prelimina r y results of these tests. While New York City and surrounding areas showed as many as 21 percent of people having the antibodies, only 3.9 percent of those tested in the rest of the state were positive. Hochul said the tests are crucial for reopening New York, as the antibodies show who may have contracted and then successfully fought off the virus. These individuals can be more resistant to catching and spreading COVID and would be considered safer candidates to return to work. According to researchers, many people have contracted the virus without any symptoms. Through the antibody tests, Hochul said, a clearer picture of COVID’s true impact on the state will emerge. Although numbers for upstate New York are much lower than in New York City, Hochul explains that we may be behind the curve in the North Country. As a result, she explains the reopening of New York state will need to be done on a region by region basis.
By Andrea VanValkenburg STAFF WRITER
PLATTSBURGH | When the current health crisis hit the region, the owners of Valcour Brewing Company, family and staff sprang into action. Spread across the country, the eight children of Jack and Maggie Pearl came together in their parents’ honor and created a special weekly fund to help feed those serving on the local front line. As word of their efforts spread, supporters of the local restaurant and brewery stepped forward wanting to help and staff created a GoFundMe page to help boost the cause. In just two weeks, the effort raised $1,100. “This money is going directly toward sending meals to those essential workers that are continuing to keep us safe through COVID,” manager Danielle Schwartz said recently while thanking the community for their continued support. “This is our way of showing our appreciation and support.” So far chefs, owners and staff have crafted and delivered nearly 500 meals. Valcour has already donated to Plattsburgh City Police, Meadowbrook Healthcare, 911 dispatchers and several units at University of Vermont Health Network-CVPH Medical Center, including the Emergency Room, Intensive-Care Unit, Women and Children’s Center, Radiology and Environmental Services.
Valcour Brewing Company Owner Mary Pearl recently delivered meals to Meadowbrook Healthcare in Plattsburgh. In early April, the local restaurant and brewery launched a GoFundMe campaign to help feed those serving on the local frontlines and has since served nearly 500 meals with the community’s support. Photo provided Staff deliver the meals twice a week and are continuing to accept donations and ideas on where to serve next. ■
TO DONATE:
Those interested in donating can go to Valcour Brewing Company’s Facebook page for the link to the GoFundMe or go directly to gofundme.com/discover and search “Meals through COVID”. For more information, call (518) 324-BEER. ■
RANDOM ANTIBODY-TESTING Testing for virus immunity part of program to reopen economy By Alina Walentowicz
of Health Care Services Erin Streiff who said in another recent YouTube update the department is waiting on results from the state. “The reason that the state chose not to let anyone know ahead of time, including the local health departments, was because they felt it would better enable them to get a truly random sample of people.”
THE STATE’S ANTIBODIES TEST
STAFF WRITER
PLATTSBURGH | Gov. Andrew Cuomo sought federal collaboration with President Donald Trump on increased testing surrounding COVID-19, and said decisions to re-open must be based on data resulting from antibody and diagnostic testing. “We’re going to make reopening decisions on a regional basis based on that region’s facts and circumstances,” the Governor stated. “[...] The North Country has a totally different situation than New York City. Central New York has a different situation. We operate as one state but we also have to understand variations, and you do want to get this economy open as soon as possible.” 3,000 New Yorkers have been sampled at random for initial tests.
TESTING IN PLATTSBURGH, UNAFFILIATED WITH CCHD
April 19-20 antibody tests were administered at Market 32 “Price Chopper” in Plattsburgh by the New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH), in an effort to potentially identify the percentage of the population that may have developed immunity to COVID-19. John Kanoza, Director of Public Health for Clinton County, said this testing could help figure out when it will be safe for some residents to head back to work. “This is a pre-trial run that the state is trying to just get a general number count—100 people, 150 people—at, as I understand it, 6 locations in the state of New York to see what the percentage of people are out there that are immune to COVID,” Kanoza said in a recent county health department daily briefing on YouTube. A local official who advocates for increased testing recently recalled 14 specific “county, city” locations across the state, while a state health spokesperson has since told local media testing took place at 20 locations in the state. Health department officials didn’t have notice of the testing ahead of time, according to Clinton County Health Department (CCHD) Director
Residents in Clinton County cannot seek out testing to learn “individual immunity status” at this time, according to Kanoza. There are three results an individual can receive on this SARS-CoV-2 antibodies test, according to a handout distributed by NYSDOH: reactive, nonreactive or indeterminate. This is different from the diagnostic test, which determines whether or not an individual currently has COVID-19. The antibody test is produced by Wadsworth Center, the state’s public health lab, recently approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for outsourcing to private labs.
RESTARTING THE ECONOMY; OFFICIALS, CCHD WEIGH IN
Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul recently reiterated the governor’s call for a gradual, regional economic re-opening in a tele-town hall hosted by the North Country Chamber of Commerce. She said this means industries best allowing for social distancing could be the first to start back up again. Mixed opinions on re-opening strategies have circulated throughout Clinton County, reports the health department. “Careful planning is required,” said Chairperson Mark Henry, from the Clinton County Legislature. “To safely begin resuming regular activity, Clinton County will employ a collaborative phased approach which balances existing executive orders and input from local municipalities, with a concentrated responsible effort to restart the local economy and get business open. All of this must happen within the framework of good data driven public health policy and protocols to avoid a resurgence of COVID 19.” A recent release from the county’s health department said a slow re-opening will be based on “the percent of new positive tests in comparison to total tests; the number of active cases; and data from the NYSDOH antibody testing survey, when it is released.” The state has since reported that 13.9% of individuals tested statewide have developed antibodies. ■
See HOCHUL » pg. 8
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