BUFFALO (WBEN) - Wednesday morning marked the beginning of vaccinations at the Delavan Grider Community Center in Buffalo, as officials are preparing to provide 1,000 shots per day.
"I'm excited," said Ramona Collins, one of the residents who was lined up before the clinic officially opened at 8 a.m., and Collins added that she didn't feel any apprehension about receiving the vaccine and believes it to be safe.
"It's fantastic," she continued. "I've been worried about when and where I could get my shot, and I'm excited."
"I'm totally good with taking the vaccine," said another resident who was waiting in line. "I think if I don't die from COVID then the vaccine is not going to kill me, so I'm total good about it."
Terry Holsclaw works logistics for the US Forest Service, which is working in conjunction with FEMA to provide oversight at Delavan-Grider, and he said they'll need cooperation from residents to ensure the site runs smoothly.
"I think the biggest thing, since we're limited on space here, is that the public understands to come when they're scheduled," said Holsclaw. "We don't have a lot of space to put extra people, and during the COVID protocols they obviously have to maintain their distance and things like that, and that's difficult for us in a smaller location."
Up until Wednesday morning, only residents of 10 specific zip codes were allowed to make appointments at the site. Starting at 8 a.m., all eligible Erie County residents were able to book vaccine appointments at Delavan-Grider. However, according to County Executive Mark Poloncarz, the remaining available time slots went very fast.
