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Orleans moves up past more counties for Covid vaccination rate

By Tom Rivers, Editor Posted 2 May 2021 at 10:10 am

County moves from last to tied for 7th lowest among 62 counties

Jessica Sutch, an employee with the Job Development Agency in Orleans County, holds a sticker given to people who get vaccinated at a mass clinic at the Ridgeway fire hall. She has been among the volunteers for several months at the vaccine clinics and the Covid testing sites before that run by the Health Department.

Orleans County continues to move past counties in the push to get residents vaccinated.

In early April, Orleans had the lowest percent of residents with at least one vaccine dose among the 62 counties in the state.

Orleans on April 27th moved up to a tie with Fulton County for the third lowest vaccination rate at 32.8 percent.

On Saturday, Orleans was tied was seventh lowest with Steuben County at 35.2 percent. That is still well below the state-wide rate of 46.3 percent with at least one dose or 9,243,145 and the Finger Lakes Region’s rate of 47.4 percent.

Here the 10 lowest vaccination rates (at least one dose) for NY counties:

  • Allegany County (population: 46,430) – 31.1 percent
  • Cattaraugus County (population: 76,840) – 34.1 percent
  • Tioga County (population: 48,560) – 34.4 percent
  • Lewis County (population: 26,447) – 34.7 percent
  • Bronx County (population: 1,432,132) – 34.9 percent
  • Fulton County (population: 53,591) – 35.0 percent
  • Steuben County (population 95,796) – 35.2 percent
  • Orleans County (population 40,612) – 35.2 percent
  • Jefferson County (population: 111,755) – 35.4 percent
  • Chemung County (population 84,254) – 36.8 percent

In Orleans County, the state’s Vaccine Tracker reports that 14,308 people out of 40,612 have received at least one dose for 35.2 percent. The county has had 26.7 percent or 10,844 of its population complete the vaccine series, the state reported.

The vaccine has been available through pharmacies, Orleans Community Health, Oak Orchard Health and other healthcare providers, as well as the Genesee and Orleans County Health Departments. The G-O Health Department has been running mass vaccination sites at the Ridgeway Fire Hall and GCC in Batavia.

The Ridgeway site is nearing 10,000 doses. Staff and volunteers at the site have now administered 5,311 first doses and 4,035 second doses, said Paul Pettit, public health for Orleans and Genesee.

Orleans is behind the rate among similar-size nearby rural counties. The rates for the GLOW counties include:

  • Genesee County (population: 57,511) – 41.0 percent
  • Livingston County (population: 63,227) – 41.4 percent
  • Orleans County (population 40,612) – 35.2 percent
  • Wyoming County (population: 40,085) – 36.7 percent