Nurse Gail Lautenschuetz draws a dose of coronavirus vaccine Feb. 25 at the North Country Community College gym in Saranac Lake. (Enterprise photo — Elizabeth Izzo)

The number of people with active COVID-19 cases locally continues to decline as more residents get vaccinated.

Franklin County Public Health reported 80 active cases of COVID-19 countywide on Friday, down from 105 the day prior and 274 at the start of this month.

The Essex County Health Department reported 11 active cases countywide as of Friday, up from 10 the day prior but down from 41 at the start of this month.

Meanwhile, the number of people who have received vaccine doses continues to grow.

As of Thursday in the North Country region, 159,046 people had gotten at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine — that’s 12,555 more people than last week. Nearly 96,000 people have been fully vaccinated, 11,423 more people than last week.

Both Franklin County Public Health Director Kathleen Strack and Essex County Public Health Director Linda Beers said this week that the number of vaccine doses being delivered by the state to their health departments is increasing. Essex County Board of Supervisors Chairman Shaun Gillilland, R-Willsboro, said earlier this week that he expects the number of doses arriving to eventually exceed the demand.

As of Thursday, more than 38% of Essex County’s population and more than 33% of Franklin County’s population had received at least one coronavirus vaccine dose, according to the state Department of Health. Hamilton County, which has a population of 4,434 people, continues to have the highest vaccination rate in New York with nearly 56% of its population having received at least one vaccine dose as of Thursday.

Statewide, 14.6% of the population has been fully vaccinated and 27.5% of the population partially vaccinated, according to the DOH.

Though more and more Americans are vaccinated each day, there are still a lot of unknowns about the virus, its variants and how long immunity against the virus lasts after an infection.

Local students will be going on spring break soon, and many families travel for vacations during that time. The Saranac Lake and Lake Placid central school districts start their spring break this weekend, Tupper Lake Central School goes on break starting Wednesday, Keene starts on Thursday, and both Long Lake and AuSable Valley schools go on break starting Friday.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control continues to advise against travel.

In New York, everyone over the age of 50 is eligible to get vaccinated along with most essential workers and those with select medical conditions. To find out if you’re eligible and schedule a vaccine appointment at a state-run clinic, visit am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov.

Both Essex County, at www.co.essex.ny.us/health/clinics, and Franklin County, at www.franklincountyny.gov/residents/covid-19_guidance/index.php, post information on upcoming clinics online when doses are available.

Franklin County Public Health maintains lists of eligible people who are contacted to receive a COVID-19 vaccine if there are excess doses at a clinic. Unused vaccines are only given away to eligible people, the department clarified Friday, responding to a false rumor that non-state-eligible people could get the vaccine, too. Any unused vaccines are used at the next clinic.

Residents aged 60 and older, school faculty and staff and childcare workers can get vaccinated by appointment at a local pharmacy.