NEW YORK (WKBW) — Seniors in New York State may soon receive assistance in getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Friday that the state, along with with local health departments, will expand vaccination sites for the 65+ population.
According to the state, the sites will be able to provide assistance to seniors with transportation to and from the vaccination facilities and will also provide support for vaccination paperwork.
New York State is expected to receive an increase in the Moderna vaccine allocations beginning next week.
"New York is getting more and more needles in arms every single day, with a focus on vaccinating our most vulnerable residents," Governor Cuomo said. "We know that our senior New Yorkers are more at-risk with COVID, and it's critical that we provide them with access to the vaccine right in their own communities, as well as the assistance they need to schedule and get to and from their appointments. By working together with our local health departments to establish these new sites, we will help ensure the process of receiving a vaccine is as simple as possible for our 65+ population and get closer to reaching our goal of social equity and fairness through vaccine distribution."
Additional details, including locations, are expected to be released at a later time.
Eligible residents are encouraged to schedule appointments at NYS mass vaccination sites by using New York's 'Am I Eligible' website or by calling the COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline at 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829).
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said on social media Friday evening that the county expects an allocation of the vaccine for the 65 and over group next week.
Great News! NYS informed Erie County starting next week we can begin to vaccinate the 65+ age category! We will receive a dedicated allocation of vaccine per week from NYS for this age group. We will announce registration info and dates once we know how many doses we will get.
— Mark Poloncarz (@markpoloncarz) February 27, 2021
