Buffalo, NY (WBEN) As proven by the ongoing frustration in attempting to secure a COVID 19 vaccine appointment in the Buffalo area, Western New York has been lagging in the number of vaccine doses it's received compared to other regions in New York.
But some local leaders are hoping that will change.
Niagara County Legislature Chairwoman Becky Wydysh says there's catching up here in Western New York. "We've only had our state-run vaccination site in Niagara Falls open since Friday, so it's going to take a little time to ramp up," says Wydysh. Wydysh says the region hasn't received opportunities like in downstate just yet. Once that happens, she says the region will be up to speed.
Wydysh is hopeful, considering more vaccines will be coming to the state from the federal government. "We haven't seen big shipments of the Johnson and Johnson doses yet, but we have been getting small allocations for our inbound population. We also hear the president talk about ramping up production," says Wydysh, who adds the goal is to keep moving forward.
In Chautauqua County, County Executive PJ Wendel says there was a large increase this week, leading to clinics this week at SUNY Fredonia and SUNY JCC. "We were fortunate enough to receive an allotment from Allegany County, as they were not able to utilize all their allotment, and they reached out to us if we wanted to use it," says Wendel. Those events amount to 3,000 doses.
Wendel does note a concern. "Allegany County's limited because there are a lot of requirements and restrictions when it comes to local health departments and who can be vaccinated, so in the case of Allegany County, you could have a sudden flood of vaccine and it's difficult to coordinate all that based on the requirements of the state," says Wendel.
Wendel has a solution. "The vaccination should be eligible for everyone in New York State," says Wendel. "We've focused on the vulnerable population early on. That was great, but now, for us, our sites that filled up in minutes now took most of the day to fill up."
Wendel also has a concern about the allocation process. "Numbers are up and down, there's no consistency with regards to the vaccination," explains Wendel. "We add another group but it doesn't change our vaccine went up but in another county it went down. There's no systematic way that this is being done."
This week, those 50 and older became eligible to get the vaccine.
