Five things to know this Wednesday April 22

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Good Morning, Capital Region! Did some of you wake up with a light dusting on your cars this morning due to the lake effect snow pushing through our area?

NEWS10’s Matt Mackie is forecasting colder temperatures and winds throughout the day.

Grab a cup of coffee, or a blanket and warm up while catching up on today’s Five things to know this morning.

1. Gov. Cuomo gives update on testing after meeting with President Trump

The Governor and the President spoke about tests and how to ramp up mass testing. Cuomo said that his administration is dedicated to increasing the number of daily tests given to 40,000, putting the state’s lab system at max capacity. Currently, 20,000 people are administered tests daily. The 40,000 tests would be a combination of diagnostic testing and antibody testing.

The Governor said this process would take weeks and they have support from the Federal Government. He broke down the responsibilities of each entity and how they support each other.

2. Senate approves $483B virus aid deal, sends it to House

 A $483 billion coronavirus aid package flew through the Senate on Tuesday after Congress and the White House reached a deal to replenish a small-business payroll fund and provided new money for hospitals and testing.

Most of the funding, $331 billion, would go to boost a small-business payroll loan program that ran out of money last week. An additional $75 billion would be given to hospitals, and $25 billion would be spent to boost testing for the virus, a key step in building the confidence required to reopen state economies.

Slightly more than 81,000 N.Y. businesses have been approved for a PPP loan for a total of $20.3 billion dollars. N.Y. received the third-largest amount behind California ($33.4 billion) and Texas ($28.5 billion), based on reporting from the SBA. According to census.gov, there were slightly more than two million businesses, not including farms, in N.Y. in 2012. Using those numbers and the current amount of businesses approved for a PPP loan, it would mean four percent of businesses in the state were approved.

3. FDA approves first at-home coronavirus test kit

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first at-home coronavirus test.

It’s called Pixel by LabCorp COVID-19 Test home collection kit. They allow patient to collect nasal swabs samples at home and mail them in for results.

According to the FDA, LabCorp will make the tests available in most states in the coming weeks.

People will need to have a doctor’s order to get the at-home test kit.

4. Updated Coronavirus case numbers in the Capital Region

There are 251, 690 positive confirmed cases of the virus, according to the New York State Department of Health.

The death toll in the state stands at 14,828 since Tuesday morning.

NEWS10 created graphs that track coronavirus trends over time. We update that information daily based on the numbers given by county officials. For the best representation for coronavirus numbers in your area, we’ll keep you informed at NEWS10.

County by County, we are still seeing an increase in cases. Here are the numbers according to the New York State Department of Health.

County	Positive Cases
Albany	704
Columbia	113
Fulton	27
Greene	86
Montgomery	37
Rensselaer	183
Saratoga	257
Schenectady	273
Schoharie	20
Warren	102
Washington	68

Warren County announced Tuesday that a sixth county resident passed away from COVID-19. The death was third of a resident of a county nursing home.

Albany County reported two new coronavirus related deaths in the county, both males in their 80s who resided at the Shaker Place Rehabilitation & Nursing Center.

To get a more detailed look at data in Albany County, officials released a coronavirus data tracker to its website. The tracker includes confirmed case numbers and a breakdown of demographic information by zip code. The data was gathered with information from federal and state governments and local test sites.

5. News from our neighboring states

In Massachussetts, Governor Charlie Baker issued an emergency order extending the closure of all public and private schools through the end of the school year, and the closure of all non-emergency child care programs until June 29, 2020 in an effort to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 in the Commonwealth.

In Vermont, Gov. Phil Scott and the Department of Financial Regulation announced a multi-state effort to secure student loan relief for Vermonters with private loans. Relief options from national loan servicers will increase protections for borrowers not covered by the CARES Act.

Updates to Tuesday’s breaking news

• A fire that left four people without a home and took the life of a cat was intentionally set, according to Cohoes Police.
• One person is dead and eight people were displaced after a fire broke out at multi-family apartments on North Ten Broeck Street in Scotia early Tuesday morning.

The Firemen’s Association of the State of New York  State said that while people are working from home and spending more time with their families, there has been a modest increase in the number of home cooking fires.

Fire officials reminding people to be more mindful while they prepare their meals and to take precautions to make sure everyone stays safe.

More event cancellations

• Like many other long-standing events, the COVID-19 pandemic is to blame for the cancellation of the Scripps National Spelling Bee for the first time since World War II. The organization made the announcement Tuesday morning.
• Globally, events like the iconic Oktoberfest in Germany and the Running of the Bulls in Spain have also been cancelled to stop the spread of the virus. Cancellations are expected to take a major toll in the economy, but country leaders say the health of their citizens remain the top priority.

Looking for something fun to do while at home?

• Breakdancing is something we see all the time, but did you know there’s a scene for it here in the Capital Region? As the only breakdance studio in the area, they aim primarily for the youth to give them a different path other than mainstream sports or activities.
• Any Harry Potter fans out there? This company wants to pay you to binge watch the entire series. Find out how you can apply.

Free food this week

• McDonald’s will offer free ‘Thank You Meals’ to health care workers and first responders between April 22 and May 5 as a “token of appreciation for their selfless service,” the company announced.
• On the note of free food, mark your calendars because on Friday Wendy’s is blessing everyone who pulls up to the drive thru with a free 4-piece chicken nugget pack.