Erie County looking to open COVID-19 vaccine point of distribution (POD) site in City of Buffalo
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz hopes to announce an exact location later this week so it can be up and running by next week. Author: WGRZ Staff Updated: 6:11 PM EST March 2, 2021
BUFFALO, N.Y. Erie County is getting more doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz says the county is receiving 7,280 doses from New York State this week. He also revealed a third point of distribution (POD) clinic somewhere in Buffalo is in the works and hopes it will be up and running by next week.
WBFO s Tom Dinki reports.
Erie County’s seven-day positivity rate has fallen to 4.2%, the lowest it’s been since October. Meanwhile, the death toll this month is on track to be close to half of what it was in January when 267 people died, and hospitalizations have dropped about 26% over the last two weeks.
“So we ve gotten through the fall and winter and we are headed in the right direction when it comes to the positivity rates,” said County Executive Mark Poloncarz during his COVID-19 briefing Tuesday.
But, the good news comes as the county got confirmation of its first two cases of the U.K. variant. They are part of 18 new U.K. variant cases announced by Gov. Andrew Cuomo Tuesday, bringing the state’s total to 154. The U.K. variant had already been found in Niagara and Allegany counties.
Mark Poloncarz said that with shipments of the vaccine to the state delayed, shipments from New York to providers in Western New York will be delayed too.