COVID-19-related hospitalizations in Albany County have dropped slightly this week, but the average number of daily positive cases has risen again.

Albany County Executive Dan McCoy, in his latest COVID-19 update Friday, reported that a net decrease of five hospitalizations since Tuesday brought the county's total to 46 residents in hospitals, with two in intensive care. However, there have been 776 new cases reported since Tuesday, with 242 in the last day alone. That brings the county's seven-day average of new daily positive cases to 219.2.

"The coronavirus continues to spread rapidly, largely driven by the highly contagious variants, and it is still a threat," McCoy said in a statement. "However, I’m heartened to see that hospitalizations in Albany County remain under control for now, which is the more important indicator."

As of Thursday, 74.3% of Albany Countians have received two vaccine doses, with 73.2% of those eligible having gotten the booster shot.

There were two new COVID-related deaths to report, a man in his 60s and a woman in her 100s. That brings the county's death toll since the start of the pandemic to 555.

The county is asking people who test positive using at-home kits to submit those results on their website through this online link.