Morning News Brief

Dustin Nemec of Elba was killed when his 2020 Volkswagen left the road and struck a tree then a barn at 5693 chapel Road in Byron around 6pm on Saturday night.  Nemec was going east on Chapel Road when he apparently failed to follow the curve of the road.  Byron Fire, South Byron Fire and Elba Fire responded to the accident.  Nemec was pronounced dead at the scene.

Today is the day for the vaccine mandate deadline to go into effect for healthcare workers across New York State.  Governor Hochul has announced a plan to fill up staffing shortages caused by the requirement for all healthcare workers to be COVID vaccinated with at least one shot by today.  The plan includes declaring a state of emergency to employ qualified healthcare professionals licensed in other states, countries, recent graduates and retirees to practice in New York.  Other options include deployment of medically-trained National Guard personnel.  As of September 22, 84% of hospital employees in New York are fully vaccinated leaving large gaps in the medical field which is causing hospitals across the region to suspend some services while they try to shore up the empty positions.  The Department of Labor has issued guidance to clarify that workers who are terminated because of refusal to be vaccinated are not eligible for unemployment insurance without a valid doctor-approved request for medical accommodation.

The Bills say that 4 people were refused entry to the game on Sunday because their vaccine passports did not pass screening or were not the correct type of card.  They did not accuse the people of forgeries and cannot say how many other people were turned away at the door.

Douglas Allen, longtime singer of the National Anthem for Buffalo Sabres games, says he isn’t singing this year.  He says he in unvaccinated and will not be getting the COVID vaccine as he has already had the virus and believes his natural immunity is enough.  According to research done in Israel and reported in the Washington Post, Science magazine, the World Health Organization and the National Institutes of Health among other sources, those who have recovered from a COVID infection have as much as 26 times the protection against reinfection as those who have been fully vaccinated.  Though researchers stress that this is a “don’t try this at home” result and that vaccines on top of natural immunity further enhance your protections.  Keybank Arena is requiring all attendees to be Covid Vaccinated.

The Bills beat the Washington Football Team soundly on Sunday 43 to 21 for their first home win.  Josh Allen was on fire from the start and finished with a season high 32 of 43 for 358 yards, 4TD passes and a TD run.  The Bills next game is against the Houston Texans at Highmark Stadium Sunday at 1pm.