Office of the Governor
Some New Yorkers are driving hours to get the COVID-19 vaccine because they are unable to find appointments closer to home through a state website. Residents of the Buffalo and Albany areas in particular have complained on social media and to their local lawmakers that they have had to resort to signing up for appointments in Utica, Rochester, Binghamton or Syracuse.
Jessica Muenter, 48, said she lives a short drive away from the University at Buffalo site, but instead resorted to booking an appointment in Rochester, which is over an hour away. She was one of several millions of New Yorkers with eligible health conditions that leave them particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 who could start signing up for vaccines Sunday.