By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 12 March 2021 at 5:48 pm
118 new cases in 2 counties in the past week
Orleans and Genesee counties are reporting 23 new Covid-19 cases today in the two counties. There are 118 new cases in the two counties in the past week, for a total of 6,886 since last March. Those new cases in the past seven days include 32 in Orleans, and 86 in Genesee.
In Orleans County there are 7 new cases reported today for a total of 2,469 during the pandemic. The new positive cases reported today are in the West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby), Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre) and East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon). The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 30s, 50s and 60s.
Of the new cases 3 were under mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments said.
Orleans also is reporting 7 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list. There are currently 3 county residents hospitalized due to Covid.
In Genesee County there are 16 new positive cases of Covid-19 for a total of 4,417 positive cases during the pandemic.
The new positive cases reside in the West Region (Alabama, Darien, Pembroke), Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) and East Region (Bergen, Byron, LeRoy, Pavilion, Stafford). The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 60s and 90s.
Genesee is reporting 24 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed
from the isolation list. There are currently 3 Genesee hospitalized due to Covid.
Active Cases: The number of active cases in the two counties declined from 108 to 93 in the past week. In Orleans County, the active cases was up from 34 to 37, while in Genesee the active cases dropped from 74 to 56. Two weeks ago there were 148 active cases in the two counties.
Workers granted up to 4 hours of excused leave per injection
Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today signed legislation (S.2588-A/A.3354-B) granting public and private employees time off to receive the Covid-19 vaccination.
Under this new law, employees will be granted up to four hours of excused leave per injection that will not be charged against any other leave the employee has earned or accrued. This legislation becomes effective immediately.
“Our essential employees have been on the front lines of this pandemic since day one, and as we begin to work toward a new normal in a post-pandemic world, it is critical that these employees are able to get vaccinated as quickly as possible to protect themselves and their families,” Governor Cuomo said. “This legislation will allow both public and private employees to take time off to get vaccinated without exhausting the leave they have earned, putting us one step closer to getting every single New Yorker vaccinated and defeating this virus once and for all.”
Assemblymember Charles D. Fall, D-Staten Island, said, “The quicker and more efficient we can get residents of New York vaccinated, the faster we can reopen businesses, further extend business hours in a safe manner and once again achieve normalcy in our daily lives. We all realize that the vaccine roll-out has not been smooth, to date, but with the federal administration bringing forth a clear plan to get more vaccine in arms, this law ensures that hardworking New Yorkers are not forced to choose between losing wages and receiving their vaccination.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 11 March 2021 at 8:48 pm
There are 19 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 today in Genesee and Orleans counties, bringing the total to 6,863 in the two counties since March a year ago.
In Orleans County there are 6 new cases reported today for a total of 2,462 cases during the pandemic.
The positive cases reside in the West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby) and East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon).
The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 30s, 50s, 60s and 70s.
One of the newly positive individuals was under mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments said today.
In Orleans, 3 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.
There is currently 1 county resident hospitalized due to Covid.
Genesee County today reported 13 new positive cases of Covid-19 for a total of 4,401 cases during the pandemic.
The new positive cases reside in the West Region (Alabama, Darien, Pembroke), Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) and East Region (Bergen, Byron, LeRoy, Pavilion, Stafford). The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 50s, 70s and 80s. (One of the new positive individuals is an inmate at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center in Batavia.)
Genesee is reporting 4 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.
There are currently 5 Genesee residents hospitalized due to Covid.
Mandatory quarantine remains in effect for international travelers
Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that domestic travelers will no longer be required to quarantine after entering New York from another U.S. State or U.S. Territory starting April 1st.
While no longer required, the NYS Department of Health still recommends quarantine after domestic travel as an added precaution. Mandatory quarantine remains in effect for international travelers. All travelers must continue to fill out the Traveler Health Form. Individuals should continue strict adherence to all safety guidelines to stop the spread – wearing masks, socially distancing and avoiding gatherings.
“New Yorkers have shown strength and perseverance throughout this entire pandemic, and it shows through the numbers that continue to decrease every day,” Cuomo said. “As we work to build our vaccination infrastructure even further and get more shots in arms, we’re making significant progress in winning the footrace between the infection rate and the vaccination rate, allowing us to open new sectors of our economy and start our transition to a new normal in a post-pandemic world. As part of that transition, quarantine for domestic travelers is no longer required, but it is still being advised as an added precaution.”
Regardless of quarantine status, all individuals exposed to Covid-19 or returning from travel must:
Continue daily symptom monitoring through Day 14;
Continue strict adherence to all recommended non-pharmaceutical interventions, including hand hygiene and the use of face coverings, through Day 14 (even if fully vaccinated);
Must immediately self-isolate if any symptoms develop and contact the local public health authority or their healthcare provider to report this change in clinical status and determine if they should seek testing.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 10 March 2021 at 4:44 pm
In Genesee, 11 of the new cases are at Detention Center
There are 24 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 to report today in Genesee and Orleans counties, for a total of 6,844 cases since last March in the two counties.
In Orleans County there are 6 new positive cases today for a total of 2,456 cases during the pandemic. The positive cases reside in the West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby), Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre) and East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon).
The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s. One of the newly positive individuals was under mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments said.
In Orleans, 1 more of the previous positive individuals has recovered and been removed from the isolation list.
There are currently 2 county residents hospitalized due to Covid.
In Genesee County there are 18 new positive cases of Covid reported today for a total of 4,388 cases during the pandemic.
The new positive cases reside in the Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) and East Region (Bergen, Byron, LeRoy, Pavilion, Stafford). The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s.
Of the new cases, 11 are inmates at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center, where 117 inmates have now tested positive during the pandemic.
Genesee is reporting 17 of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.
Genesee has 4 residents currently hospitalized due to Covid.
More from the Genesee & Orleans County Health Departments:
• Vaccine eligibility expanded: Beginning March 10th, all New Yorkers 60 years and older will be eligible to receive the vaccine.
Public facing essential workers from governmental and nonprofit organizations will be eligible beginning March 17th. This expansion includes public-facing essential building services workers. Providers will be able to vaccinate any eligible New Yorkers, with the exception of pharmacies who will focus on individuals over the age of 60 and teachers, in line with federal policy beginning March 10th.
This is all subject to the availability of the vaccine to the providers. This new addition of new eligible residents still far exceeds the supply of vaccine received in our counties. Individuals who are eligible must have an appointment in order to get a vaccine. To check for vaccination clinics in Genesee and Orleans counties, click here.
For more information about the vaccine and access for those who are 60 and older who do not have internet access, please contact your respective Office for the Aging (OFA).
For Genesee OFA please call 585-813-2457 for COVID-19 vaccine assistance between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and leave a message if you get voicemail and someone will return the call. For Orleans OFA please call 585-589-3191 between 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and leave a message if you get voicemail and someone will return the call. The OFA offices can only assist with the clinic links as they are available. The system may experience slowdowns and crashing due to high volume. Please be patient and try again later.
Photos by Tom Rivers: This big banner was outside the mass vaccination clinic at Genesee Community College in Batavia on Sunday. Of the 3,500 doses available, Orleans County residents only were able to get 169 or 4.8 percent.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 March 2021 at 9:04 pm
Orleans County has the lowest vaccination rate in Upstate New York, according to the state’s Covid-19 Vaccine Tracker.
In Orleans, 5,697 out of 40,612 residents or 14.0 percent have received at least one dose of the vaccine. (2,778 or 6.8 percent in the county are completed with the vaccine series.)
The 14.0 percent is well behind the state average of 19.4 percent of residents receiving at least one vaccine dose and behind the 20.7 percent in the Finger Lakes, a nine-county region that includes Orleans. To be at the region’s average, Orleans would need to have 8,406 people with at least the first dose of the vaccine or another 2,709 people from the current 5,697.
Orleans County public health officials are pushing for more mass vaccination clinics to help get the county caught up with the state average for vaccination rates.
The county is also well behind nearby rural counties. Genesee is at 19.4 percent and Wyoming is at 16.2 percent with at least one dose. Livingston is at 18.8 percent.
Wyoming and Orleans have nearly the same population – 40,085 in Wyoming and 40,612 in Orleans. But Wyoming has about 800 more people with at least one vaccine dose than in Orleans – 6,478 in Wyoming and 5,697 in Orleans.
“The numbers show Orleans County hasn’t had the access to get vaccinated compared to the region and the state,” said Paul Pettit, public health director in Orleans and Genesee counties.
“We’re going to keep pushing. We want more vaccines locally.”
The public health departments in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties collaborated on a mass vaccination clinic at GCC in Batavia over five days from Friday through today. That clinic was intended to restricted to the three counties but was opened to everyone who registered, with the 3,500 doses claimed in the first 90 minutes the state website was open.
About half of the shots or 1,666 went to Erie County residents. Orleans County residents only were able to get 169 or 4.8 percent. Genesee County residents received 17.0 percent, Niagara County residents signed up for 12.7 percent, Monroe County got 9.3 percent and Wyoming was only at 2.4 percent. There were residents from 17 other counties who were able to register for the vaccine at the GCC clinic.
“Unfortunately we didn’t get the number of folks we would have liked to for Orleans, Genesee or Wyoming counties,” Pettit said on a conference call this evening with elected officials in Orleans County.
‘The numbers show Orleans County hasn’t had the access to get vaccinated compared to the region and the state. We’re going to keep pushing. We want more vaccines locally.’ – Paul Pettit, public health director
GCC proved an ideal setup for the clinic and Pettit said the three health departments are applying to do another clinic at GCC. They would like there to be residency restrictions so the vaccine could be limited to the three counties.
Pettit also is pushing the state for an additional vaccine allotments for Orleans County to help the county get caught up with the state and region averages.
“We’re trying to get a special allocation, especially for Orleans County because we are behind,” Pettit said. “Hopefully the state will come through with additional allocations.”
The state’s Vaccine Tracker shows few counties are under 15.0 percent with at least one dose. In Western New York, Orleans has the lowest vaccination rate with Allegany the next lowest at 15.3 percent.
In WNY the county rates of residents with at least one vaccine dose, as of 11 a.m. today, include: Orleans, 14.0 percent; Niagara, 17.7 percent; Erie, 20.1 percent; Genesee, 19.4 percent; Wyoming, 16.2 percent; Monroe, 21.4 percent; Livingston, 18.8 percent; Chautauqua, 19.6 percent; Cattaraugus, 16.5 percent; and Allegany, 15.3 percent.
The counties in the state with vaccine rates below 15 percent include: Orleans, 14.0 percent; Steuben, 14.3 percent; Orange, 14.4 percent; and Sullivan at 14.6 percent. In New York City, two boroughs are lower than the vaccination rate in Orleans, with Bronx County (the Bronx) is at 13.6 percent and Kings County (Brooklyn) also at 13.6 percent.
That compares with counties in northern New York where the rates are about double the percent in Orleans. Clinton is at 30.1 percent, with Franklin at 27.2 percent and St. Lawrence at 27.6 percent.
Orleans this week will receive another 600 doses of the vaccine, Pettit said. That includes 200 to be administered by the Health Department, 200 by Rosenkrans Pharmacy in Medina, 100 by Oak Orchard Health and 100 by the Medicine Shoppe in Medina.
“It’s still slow slogging,” Pettit said. “Hopefully we can get a special allocation to give a bump to our numbers.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 9 March 2021 at 5:07 pm
Genesee, Orleans pass 200 Covid-related deaths during pandemic
Orleans and Genesee counties combined are reporting 16 more confirmed cases of Covid-19 today, but only 2 are in Orleans.
In Orleans County, the 2 new cases today give the county 2,450 positive cases since last March. The positive cases reside in the West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby). Both individuals are in their 20s and both were under mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments reported.
Orleans is reporting 5 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list. There is one resident from Orleans currently hospitalized due to Covid.
Orleans has 29 active Covid cases today, which is the fewest since there were 25 on Nov. 9. The county hit a peak with 279 active cases on Jan. 7. A month ago on Feb. 9 there were 73 actives cases.
In Genesee County there are 14 new positive cases of Covid-19 for a total of 4,370 cases during the pandemic.
The new positive cases reside in the West Region (Alabama, Darien, Pembroke), Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) and East Region (Bergen, Byron, LeRoy, Pavilion, Stafford).
The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s and 70s. Genesee is reporting 10 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.
Genesee currently has 4 residents hospitalized due to Covid.
The Health Departments is reporting the Covid-related death of a Genesee resident over the age of 65. Genesee has now had 120 residents die from Covid, while Orleans has had 82 residents pass away due to Covid.
More from the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments:
Vaccine Eligibility Expanded: Beginning March 10th, all New Yorkers 60 years and older will be eligible to receive the vaccine.
Public facing essential workers from governmental and nonprofit organizations will be eligible beginning March 17th. This expansion includes public-facing essential building services workers.
Providers will be able to vaccinate any eligible New Yorkers, with the exception of pharmacies who will focus on individuals over the age of 60 and teachers, in line with federal policy beginning March 10th. This is all subject to the availability of the vaccine to the providers.
This new addition of new eligible residents still far exceeds the supply of vaccine received in our counties. Individuals who are eligible must have an appointment in order to get a vaccine.
To check for vaccination clinics in Genesee and Orleans counties, click here.
For more information about the vaccine and access for those who are 60 and older who do not have internet access, please contact your respective Office for the Aging (OFA). For Genesee OFA please call 585-813-2457 for Covid-19 Vaccine assistance between 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and leave a message if you get voicemail and someone will return the call.
For Orleans OFA please call 585-589-3191 between 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and leave a message if you get voicemail and someone will return the call. The OFA offices can only assist with the clinic links as they are available. The system may experience slowdowns and crashing due to high volume. Please be patient and try again later.
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a new expansion of Covid-19 vaccine eligibility in New York.
Beginning March 10, all New Yorkers 60 years of age and older will be eligible to receive the vaccine, while public facing essential workers from governmental and nonprofit entities will be eligible beginning March 17. This expansion also includes public-facing essential building services workers.
Additionally, the Governor announced that with increased supply of the vaccine, restrictions concerning which segments of the eligible population specific providers can vaccinate will be relaxed to align with the expanded eligibility on March 17.
Previously, certain types of providers were directed to focus their vaccination efforts on specific populations to ensure equitable vaccine distribution. For example, hospitals vaccinated health care workers, local health departments vaccinated essential workers and pharmacies vaccinated New Yorkers 65 years of age and older.
Now, providers will be able to vaccinate any eligible New Yorker, with the exception of pharmacies, which will focus on individuals over the age of 60 and teachers, in line with federal policy. Pharmacies may begin vaccinating individuals over the age of 60 and teachers on March 10. As part of this effort, providers are being encouraged to vaccinate those New Yorkers most at risk, such as individuals 60 years of age and older and people with comorbidities and underlying health conditions.
“New York is marching forward expanding access to the Covid-19 vaccine, addressing underserved communities and getting shots in arms as we turn the tide in the fight against this virus,” Cuomo said. “Supply is steadily increasing and we’re opening new vaccination sites and expanding eligibility to match it.”
Under this new expansion of eligibility, the following essential workers will now be eligible to begin receiving the Covid-19 vaccine on March 17:
Public-facing government and public employees
Not-for-profit workers who provide public-facing services to New Yorkers in need
Essential in-person public-facing building service workers
This includes workers such as public works employees, social service and child service caseworkers, government inspectors, sanitation workers, DMV workers, County Clerks, building service workers and election workers – the everyday heroes who have been showing up day in and day out throughout this pandemic.
New York’s vast distribution network and large population of eligible individuals still far exceed the supply coming from the federal government. Due to this limited supply, New Yorkers are encouraged to remain patient and are advised not to show up at vaccination sites without an appointment.
Eligible New Yorkers will be able to schedule appointments at state vaccination sites by utilizing New York’s ‘Am I Eligible’ website or by calling the state’s Covid-19 Vaccination Hotline at 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829).
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 8 March 2021 at 4:35 pm
In the first update since last Friday afternoon, there are 36 new cases of Covid-19 to report today in Genesee and Orleans counties, which brings the total cases to 6,804 in the two counties since last March.
In Orleans County there are 11 new positive cases for a total of 2,448 positive cases during the pandemic. The new positive cases reside in the West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby), Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre) and East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon).
The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s and 70s. One of the newly positive people was under mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments reported.
Orleans is reporting 13 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.
There is currently one county resident hospitalized due to Covid.
In Genesee County there are 25 new positive cases for a total of 4,356 positive cases during the pandemic.
The new positive cases reside in the Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) and East Region (Bergen, Byron, LeRoy, Pavilion, Stafford). The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 90s.
Among the new cases 1 is a resident of the New York State Veterans’ Home at Batavia and 1 is an inmate at the Buffalo Federal Detention Center in Batavia.
Genesee is reporting 26 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.
There are currently 4 individuals from Genesee hospitalized due to Covid.
Testing Clinic: Due to Tuesday’s vaccination clinic, there will not be a testing clinic this week in the two counties. The testing clinic link will be live when clinics are scheduled. This will be determined week-to-week.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 March 2021 at 4:52 pm
Active cases drop in past week from 148 to 108 in 2 counties
There are 16 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 reported today in Genesee and Orleans counties, bringing the total to 6,768 since last March in the two counties, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments said this afternoon.
In Orleans County there are 4 new positive cases reported today for a total of 2,437 cases in the pandemic. The new confirmed cases reside in the Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre) and East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon). The individuals are in their 20s, 30s and 60s.
Orleans is reporting 14 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.
In Orleans, 2 of the current positive individuals are currently hospitalized.
In Genesee County there are 12 new positive cases reported today ,for a total of 4331 cases in the pandemic.
The new positive cases reside in the Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) and East Region (Bergen, Byron, LeRoy, Pavilion, Stafford). The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 60s, 70s and 80s.
Genesee is reporting 19 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.
There are currently 3 Genesee residents hospitalized due to Covid.
Active Cases: The number of active cases in the two counties declined from 148 a week ago to 108. In Orleans County, the active cases is down from 53 to 34 in the past seven days while in Genesee the number of active cases dropped from 95 to 74 in the past week.
There weren’t any Covid-related deaths reported in the two counties in the past week, according to the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 5 March 2021 at 1:17 pm
Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming get about 25% of doses
BATAVIA – A mass vaccination clinic the next five days at Genesee Community College in Batavia was intended to help rural Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties catch up with their low Covid-19 vaccination rates.
The clinic was going to be exclusively for the three counties, but was changed by state officials to not include a residency restriction in those counties.
The local health departments have studied the registrations, which include the county of residence, and found only about 25 percent of the registrants are from one of the three counties.
“The purpose of our request (for the clinic) was to help increase our vaccination rate, and provide for our county residents who have been shorted throughout this pandemic,” said Paul Pettit, Public Health director for Genesee and Orleans counties. “This clinic assuredly did not significantly impact our rates. With only 864 of the 3,500 doses of vaccine remaining in our three counties, we are still well below the current state-wide vaccination rate. We will continue to seek additional allocations to bring parity for the counties’ vaccination rates.”
Erie County residents claimed 1,666 or 47.6 percent of the 3,500 spots. Niagara County residents took Niagara County 446 spots or 12.74% and Monroe County residents signed up for 326 spots or 9.31% of the total.
Among the three local rural counties Genesee County is filling 596 spots or 17.03%, with Orleans County taking 169 spots or 4.83% and Wyoming County getting 99 spots or 2.38%.
In addition, Livingston County is filling 73 spots or 2.09% and Ontario County residents claimed 45 spots or 1.29%. There were 15 other counties and out-of-state residents that each had less than 1%.
“After careful analysis of the registrations, what we expected to happen once we were told the clinic was open to anyone eligible, regardless of residency, did happen,” Pettit said.
The state website for registering for vaccines opened at 8 a.m. on Thursday and all 3,500 appointments were taken within 90 minutes for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which is the one shot vaccine.
“For those in the Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming region who were able to register for this weekend’s state-run temporary mass clinic we understand how challenging it was,” Pettit said. “For those who live in our GOW region and were shut out of this clinic, we will continue to advocate for vaccine for our residents.”
Assemblyman Steve Hawley issued this statement:
“This statewide free-for-all for vaccines is leaving rural New Yorkers behind, and is causing people from all throughout the state to come to our community to use up the small allocation of vaccines our community desperately needs,” Hawley said. “We need to be smarter about ensuring vaccines given to a community stay in that community, rather than allowing a statewide scramble for shots which keeps doses out of the arms of those who need them most in rural areas.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 March 2021 at 4:49 pm
Orleans and Genesee counties are reporting 21 more confirmed cases of Covid-19 today for a total 6,752 in the two counties since a year ago.
In Orleans County there are 5 new positive cases of Covid reported today for a total of 2,433 during the pandemic.
The positive cases reside in the West Region (Yates, Ridgeway, Shelby), Central Region (Carlton, Gaines, Albion, Barre) and East Region (Kendall, Murray, Clarendon). The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s and 50s.
Of the new cases, 3 were under mandatory quarantine prior to testing positive, the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments said.
Orleans is reporting 2 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list. There are currently 2 county residents hospitalized due to Covid.
In Genesee County there are 16 new Covid cases for a total of 4,319 during the pandemic.
The new positive cases reside in the West Region (Alabama, Darien, Pembroke), Central Region (Alexander, Batavia, Bethany, Elba, Oakfield) and East Region (Bergen, Byron, LeRoy, Pavilion, Stafford). The individuals are in the age groups of 0-19, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s.
Genesee is reporting 12 more of the previous positive individuals have recovered and been removed from the isolation list.
There are currently 4 Genesee residents hospitalized due to Covid.
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 March 2021 at 10:01 am
By 9:20 this morning, all 3,500 spots taken
BATAVIA – The 3,500 vaccine appointments went quickly this morning once they were made available on the state website.
The state-run website for appointments opened at 7:59 a.m. for the clinic at GCC. By 9:20, there weren’t any appointments left. There were about a dozen clinics listed with appointments on the state website. They are listed alphabetically and Batavia was second from the top, just under a clinic in Albany.
The Batavia clinic runs five days from Friday through Tuesday. It was intended to help increase the vaccination rates in Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties, which are lagging behind the rates in the state and the Finger Lakes Region.
The state, however, opted not to restrict the appointments to residents of the three rural counties.
Paul Pettit, public health director in Genesee and Orleans counties, said some appointments could open up and he encouraged people to keep checking the state’s website. He said the rural counties will keep pushing for more vaccines.
“We realize this may be disappointing and frustrating for our local county residents as it is to us,” Pettit said about the appointments getting filled up so fast. “We will continue to advocate for increased vaccine allocations moving forward. Every dose of vaccine that comes to our counties are administered within the week of receipt. We will continue to call on the state to increase allocations to rural counties as our vaccination rates continue to lag in comparison to surrounding counties.”
By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 4 March 2021 at 8:27 am
BATAVIA – The mass vaccination clinic at Genesee Community College is targeted for Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties, but isn’t restricted to those counties.
The three rural counties wanted the clinic to be limited to the three counties, but the state Department of Health is making it available to whoever signs up.
The state has other vaccine clinics listed on its website that have residency restrictions for Albany, Brooklyn, Queens, Rochester and Buffalo.
Because the clinic in Batavia is open to people outside the three counties, local health officials are urging Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming residents to sign up right away this morning before all the appointments are gone. Click here to sign up.
The three counties lag behind the vaccination rates in the nine-county Finger Lakes Region and across the state. In the Finger Lakes the percentage of residents who have received at least one vaccine dose is 16.2 percent and 9.5 percent are fully vaccinated. The statewide averages are 15.6 percent with one dose and 8.4 percent fully vaccinated.
• In Orleans County, only 10.8 percent of the 40,612 residents have received at least one dose and 5.8 percent are fully vaccinated.
• In Genesee County, 14.7 percent of the 57,511 residents have received at least one dose and 8.7 percent are fully vaccinated.
• In Wyoming County, 13.2 percent of the 40,085 residents have had at least one dose and 8.0 percent have had both doses.
The neighboring metro areas in Erie and Monroe counties have higher vaccination rates.
• In Monroe County, 16.8 percent of the 742,474 residents have received at least the first dose of the vaccine and 9.9 percent have completed the vaccine series.
• In Erie County, 16.1 percent have received at least one dose and 9.7 percent are completed with the vaccine series, according to the data on the state’s Covid-19 vaccine tracker.
Site will administer 3,500 vaccines 5 days through Tuesday; Orleans residents urged to sign up
Press Release, Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments
BATAVIA – Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and the New York State Department of Health have agreed to host a temporary regional mass vaccination clinic at Genesee Community College main campus center (1 College Rd, Batavia) to provide the Covid-19 vaccine to rural counties.
The announcement comes after the legislative leaders and public health directors of Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties sent a letter last week to the Governor urgently requesting the designation of such a clinic to serve rural populations in the region.
“Orleans County has received lower vaccine allocations throughout the pandemic which has resulted in substantially lower vaccination rates here compared to other regions of New York,” said Lynne Johnson, chairperson of the Orleans County Legislature. “I am pleased our request for a GCC site was well received and hope to work cooperatively with our local partners and the state moving forward to facilitate more mass vaccine clinics for rural residents who have been largely underserved during the crisis.”
This state-run clinic, expecting to vaccinate 3,500, is targeted to Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming County residents who are in the state eligible groupings. The state has confirmed, as of March 2, the vaccine will be the Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) one dose vaccine. The clinic is located at the GCC Athletic Center where signs will guide those with appointments to the entrance. The clinic will be held starting:
Friday, March 5, from noon – 4 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday (March 6th and 7th) from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Monday and Tuesday (March 8th and 9th) from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Appointments must be made via the New York State ‘Am-I-Eligible’ webpage (click here) or by calling the New York State Covid-19 Vaccination Hotline at 1-833-697-4829 only.
“We are pleased to be a part of this mass vaccination clinic,” stated Rebecca Ryan, Chairwoman of the Wyoming County Board of Supervisors. “This will help put a dent in our priority groups.”
“To say this Covid vaccination site is necessary is an understatement, as I speak with constituents daily who are told they have to travel hours in some cases just to get their vaccine,” said New York State Assemblyman Steve Hawley. “I am hopeful we will see progress made toward opening this site for the convenience of all who wish to receive the vaccination in the Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming County communities. We need to do all we can to stop the spread of Covid-19 throughout New York State.”
“I am very happy that GCC will be serving as a vaccination site for Genesee, Orleans and Wyoming counties. In the joint legislative health hearing this past Thursday, I specifically requested Commissioner Zucker establish a vaccination site at GCC,” said New York State Senator Edward Rath. “I am pleased that this all is happening very quickly, and we can work to get residents in our rural counties vaccinated. Thank you to our local leaders for their leadership on the issue.”
“We hope this is just the beginning of our region getting an equitable share of the vaccine,” stated Rochelle Stein, Chairperson of the Genesee County Legislature. “In order to continue to provide vaccine to those in rural counties, we encourage the state to continue to provide these limited mass vaccination clinics to assist our counties and get the vaccine in the arms of our residents who choose to get it.”
