INCREASED VACCINE
Nearly 22,000 residents received one dose of coronavirus vaccine
SARATOGA COUNTY, N.Y. » Federal COVID-19 vaccine supply is expected to increase, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced in an update on Tuesday.
Following a call with the White House, Cuomo, who chairs the National Governors Association, announced the federal supply to the states will increase to 20 percent for the next three weeks, up from the initial 16 percent bump.
Private pharmacies in the state, currently charged with prioritizing the age 65-plus population, will now receive an additional 10 percent, or about 30,000 doses, directly from the federal government to supplement the doses allocated to them by the state.
Given the overall increase to the state’s supply, the governor is granting localities the flexibility to add restaurant workers, taxi drivers, and developmentally disabled facilities to the 1B vaccine prioritization group.
“We’re in a footrace to vaccinate the entire eligible population while continuing to keep the infection rate low,” Cuomo said in a press release. “We’re moving heaven and earth to administer as many doses as possible, but on a global level we are experiencing high demand and scarce amounts of the vaccine.
“We have much more distribution in place than we have supply, and as soon as we have more doses from the federal government we can get those shots in the arms of New Yorkers as quickly and fairly, while continuing to make sure the communities hardest hit have access to and trust in the vaccine.”
He continued, “In the meantime, I urge New Yorkers to be smart and take measures we know work to keep the infection rate low - wear a mask, wash your hands and socially distance.”
A total of two million vaccines have been administered statewide to date, a press release from the state said.
As of mid-day Tuesday, New York’s health care distribution sites have received 1,554,450 first doses and administered 91 percent or 1,414,241 first dose vaccinations and 76 percent of first and second doses. These vaccination program numbers are for doses distributed and delivered to New
York for the state’s vaccination program, and do not include those reserved for the federal government’s Long Term Care Facility program.
Due to the federal government’s limited allocation, appointments have filled up quickly, the state’s release said.
In the Capital Region, 84 percent (115,442) of 137,840 total doses received have been administered, according to the state.
Nearly 22,000 Saratoga County residents have received one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, and more than 5,000 of these residents have received two doses, according to data shared by the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce.
“As New York State shares doses with our County, they are getting shots in local arms,” an email from the chamber said.
However, local residents are among those traveling to other regions to get vaccinated, it stated, noting that the chamber continues to advocate for more doses to be shared with local counties so that they can create local points of distribution and
a mass vaccination site at the Saratoga Springs City Center.
Recently, Saratoga County’s seven-day rolling average testing positivity rate has declined to 4.5 percent,
according to Saratoga County’s online COVID-19 Dashboard, last updated on Monday.
The county’s dashboard also reports 587 new COVID-19 cases in the last seven days, bringing the county’s currently active cases to 4,004 and its total cases since the start of the pandemic to 10,604.
There have been a total of 120 deaths due to COVID-19 in Saratoga County to date, and 70 COVID-19 patients are currently hospitalized, according to the dashboard’s Monday update.
Approximately 7.1 million New Yorkers are currently eligible to receive the vaccine. The federal government has increased the weekly supply by 20 percent over the next three weeks, but New York’s vast distribution network and large population of eligible individuals still far exceed the supply coming from the federal government. Due to limited supply, New Yorkers are encouraged to remain patient and are advised not to show up at vaccination sites without an appointment.
New Yorkers seeking to determine eligibility and schedule an appointment at a state-run mass vaccination site, can visit the ‘Am I Eligible’ website. New Yorkers may also call their local health department, pharmacy, doctor, or hospital for additional information and to schedule appointments where vaccines are available.
The COVID-19 Vaccine Tracker Dashboard is available to update New Yorkers on the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. The New York State Department of Health requires vaccinating facilities to report all COVID-19 vaccine administration data within 24 hours; the vaccine administration data on the dashboard is updated daily to reflect the most up-to-date metrics in the state’s vaccination effort.
New Yorkers who suspect fraud in the vaccine distribution process can now call 833-VAX-SCAM (833-8297226) toll-free or email the state Department of Health at STOPVAXFRAUD@ health.ny.gov. Hotline staff will route complaints to the appropriate investigative agencies to ensure New Yorkers are not being taken advantage of as the state works to vaccinate the entire eligible population.