Lorigo, Greene, Todaro, and Mills resolution calling for increased vaccine supply to Erie County unanimously passes Legislature

Modified: February 4, 2021 1:30pm

02/04/2021

After multiple rounds of canceled appointments and growing frustration among the community, members of the Erie County Legislature’s Minority Caucus are advocating for an increased supply of COVID-19 vaccine to be sent to Erie County and all of New York State. Their resolution was unanimously supported by the Legislature Thursday morning.

During a Health and Human Services Committee last week, legislators met with the Health Commissioner Gale Burstein and asked questions about the vaccine rollout process. The Health Commissioner noted that Erie County has the staff to deliver 2,200 vaccines per day, but is only receiving 1,700 doses per week. Those who had appointments cancelled are now in the process of rescheduling appointments while those who already applied will now have a longer wait. At the current rate, Erie County will not see all of its residents vaccinated until 2031. The resolution introduced by Legislators Lorigo, Greene, Todaro, and Mills calls on the federal government to supply more vaccine to New York State as quickly as possible.

Legislator Joe Lorigo said, “Getting Erie County residents vaccinated needs to be the number one priority right now. So far, the process has been a clunky, unorganized mess with poor communication between the federal government, state, and counties. People have been forced to reschedule appointments due to low supply and now we’re falling behind, with people scrambling to secure their dose. Our state and federal governments must do better for the health and safety of our communities.”

Legislator Chris Greene said, “People are frustrated. Appointments have been cancelled. Many questions linger regarding the status of vaccines. If we are going to overcome the pandemic, we need to make sure our residents are vaccinated. We need more doses to New York State and Erie County to make that happen; otherwise we’re on track to fall drastically behind.”

Legislator Frank Todaro said, “People have been waiting months for the COVID-19 vaccine, and now many will have to wait even longer because of a short supply here in Erie County. This needs to change. I am making a plea to our federal and state governments to improve their communication and get more doses of vaccine to Erie County. Public health is depending on it.”

Legislator John Mills said, “To weather a pandemic for months only to be told your vaccine appointment is canceled once it’s finally available is beyond frustrating. Leadership at the local, state, and federal levels needs to come to the table and find a solution that gets more doses of vaccine to New York State and its counties.”

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