BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Vaccine mandates are going into effect across the country, but so far, not in the city of Buffalo.
“We are not mandating vaccination in the city of buffalo, we are providing assistance to any employee and any city resident who would like to get vaccinated,” Mayor Byron Brown said.
“I'm hoping that his thoughts change a little as more things evolve, the incidents are going up little by little,” Physician at Urban Family Practice Dr. Raul Vazquez said.
This announcement is in stark contrast to New York City’s policy, where all municipal workers must get vaccinated or get tested every week. California has the same policy for all state workers and health care employees. Dr. Vazquez said people should not be scared of the vaccine.
“If it was really causing some major problems, we would’ve killed a whole lot of people and that’s not what happened, we’ve saved a lot of lives,” Dr. Vazquez said.
Catholic Health, Roswell Park, and Kaleida Health do not require vaccines for their healthcare staff. On Monday the VA announced medical staff must be vaccinated. The VA says each employee has eight weeks to comply. They could be disciplined if they do not, including being removed from federal service.
“If you just allow people to do it on their own time, they’re never going to do it,” Dr. Vazquez said. “The timeline from the vaccination, whether Pfizer or Moderna, you’re talking about a 30-day cycle.”
While the city and local hospitals are not requiring vaccinations, they are encouraging people to get the shot.
“I recommend to every city employee, to every city resident, to every state and US resident that they should get vaccinated,” Mayor Byron Brown said.
You can find a vaccine site and make an appointment by going to health.ny.gov the website also tells you which vaccines are offered at each location.
