Treat us fairly, elected leaders advocate for lifting Orange Zone restrictions in Erie County
Orange Zone restrictions are still in place and some local elected leaders are calling on the state to lift those restrictions.
Posted at 3:26 PM, Jan 12, 2021
and last updated 2021-01-12 23:38:41-05
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) â Much of Erie County was designated an Orange Zone by state officials in November in response to increased COVID-19 positivity rates in the region.
Those Orange Zone restrictions are still in place and some local elected leaders are calling on the state to lift those restrictions.
In a COVID-19 update Tuesday Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said he has advocated for the county to have its Orange Zone restrictions shifted to Yellow Zone restrictions and called on the state to treat the county fairly.
20,000 emails about COVID-19 vaccines between Erie County s top officials
With so many more people able to get the COVID-19 vaccine, there are many questions about how you can get one. We re working to get some answers.
and last updated 2021-01-12 09:05:57-05
BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) â With New York State making COVID vaccines available to more people, so many of you are reaching out to us with questions. You re looking for answers about who is now eligible for a vaccine, where can you get one and how you register for an appointment.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted, there is much more demand for a COVID19 vaccine than what Erie County has to distribute. Now, Erie County is working to get additional doses from New York State.
Why is Erie County still an Orange Zone?
Why is Erie County an Orange Zone despite having more than 85% of hospital beds available? A state official tells 7 Eyewitness News Erie County remains an Orange Zone because the COVID positive rate and hospitalizations are increasing.
and last updated 2021-01-12 08:59:55-05
ERIE COUNTY, N.Y. (WKBW) â Why is Erie County an Orange Zone despite having more than 85% of hospital beds available? A state official tells 7 Eyewitness News Erie County remains an Orange Zone because the COVID positive rate and hospitalizations are increasing. I don t think Erie County is quite ready to get out of Orange Zone restrictions. The number of new cases, new hospitalizations, total hospitalizations, 10% positivity, whatever metric that you want to look at is higher now than when the restrictions were initially put in place, Dr. Thomas Russo, Professor and Chief of Infectious Disease at the University at Buffalo s Jacobs School of Medicine, said.
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz tweeted that Erie County will run out of it's vaccine allocation after Tuesday's clinics, but expects more to come soon.