Another day of record breaking hospitalizations for Albany County. Officials are reporting 180 people are hospitalized; this is the highest number since the pandemic began.

To put it in perspective, there were 151 people hospitalized less than a week ago. County Executive Dan McCoy is also reporting three new deaths, bringing the total to 275 with 172 new positive cases reported overnight.

The county has now received guidance from the state to only vaccinate frontline workers like police and firefighters, in-person teachers, college professors, and grocery store workers.

Pharmacies will now handle vaccinating anyone over 65.

McCoy says he understands the confusion many people are experiencing trying to make an appointment.

"It made no sense, you had people going to Utica, Utica people going to Albany, downstate New York coming to upstate -- somebody should figure out a system in the 21st Century to say, 'hey you're not going to go there.' So again, I will suggest to the state Department of Health to do a regional signup just for that region. It will make it less confusing and less of a wait time for people," McCoy said on Monday.

To help answer many of the questions people have, Albany County has teamed up with the United Way to staff a 211 hotline.

"The phone line is reserved for individuals who don't have the savvy to get online, especially with our elderly populations. There's no magic back channel to a vaccine, but it's there to get information," said Peter Gannon, of the United Way of the Greater Capital Region.

The United Way also has resources to help with reporting price gouging and food insecurity.