Evening News Brief
Written by Tom Tharp on January 5, 2021
Despite saying earlier that mid January was the projected start of vaccinating the general population, now health officials in New York say that early to mid summer is far more realistic. Governor Cuomo says the main source of the slowdown is at the hospital level. Cuomo says only about half of state-run hospitals are acting fast enough to distribute their allotments of the COVID-19 vaccine. If they don’t use it by the end of the week, that could mean a fine of up to 100 thousand dollars from the state and that hospital system not being able to get vaccines in the future.
A man in Saratoga county has been confirmed to have the UK mutation of the COVID virus. He is a 60 year old man who works at a jewelry store, 3 other employees at N. Fox Jewelers at 404 Broadway in Saratoga Springs, also tested positive for COVID but it is not know if it is the new strain.
The Governor also announced the priority list of New Yorkers to get the COVID-19 shot. Beginning today all front line high risk care workers who provide direct in person care as well as all public health care workers who provide direct in-person care, including those who conduct COVID-19 tests and handle lab specimens. Beginning this week, eligibility will also be expanded to include home care workers, hospice workers, and nursing home and other congregate setting workers who have yet to receive a vaccine through the federal nursing home vaccination program. Cuomo also said that if anyone not on the list to receive the vaccine gets it then the practitioner who administered it will be fined up to a million dollars and stripped of their medical license.
COVID Update: In the last 4 days Genesee county has 166 new case and 141 people have recovered. 11 people are hospitalized. 3 of the new cases are at the Batavia VA medical center and 2 are at Leroy Village Green. 2 residents at Leroy Village Green have passed from COVID. Orleans county has 101 new cases and 65 people have recovered. 16 people are hospitalized. 1 person has passed away in the community.
Residents on Ellicott street, Harvester Ave, and Colorado ave will have their water turned off while the water department changes out a fire hydrant on Wednesday between 8 and 3. If they can’t do this Wednesday it will be done at the same time on Thursday.
The Bills and some of their fans will be back in the stadium for their first playoff game and Governor Cuomo wants to come to. And a lot of fans don’t want him there. There is an online petition on change.org that has nearly 19000 signatures demanding that Cuomo be banned from attending.
