Morning News Briefing

The investigation continues after two people, just vaccinated for COVID-19, were killed car crash in Wyoming County. The collision occurred in front of the Wyoming County Highway Department on Route 19 in the Town of Gainesville.  The Wyoming County Vaccination Clinic was in operation at the Highway Department and EMTs from the clinic immediately responded to render aid. Two victims were pronounced dead at the scene. Deputies said two people were a vehicle leaving the clinic, when they pulled onto Route 19 into the path of an oncoming vehicle. A “T-bone” type collision resulted. The driver of the other vehicle received minor injuries. The investigation is continuing, but charges are unlikely.

Genesee County received 14 new positive cases of COVID-19. Ten of the previous positive individuals have recovered and have been removed from the isolation list.  Four of the current positive individuals are hospitalized. The death toll has also climbed. Health officials report the death of a resident who was over the age of 65. Orleans County reports just two new cases of COVID while ten new cases were confirmed in Wyoming County.

New York State officials say there is a record 5.8 million New Yorkers enrolled in healthcare coverage through the NY State of Health, which is nearly one in three people in the state. The enrollment period began in February 2020 and ended last month. The Marketplace programs saw a surge in new applicants last year. It increased by nearly 900,000 people.

NYS Farm Bureau President is annoyed with the Governor for excluding farmworkers from the COVID vaccine eligibility list. In a statement, David Fisher said… “It is frustrating that Governor Cuomo visited a location synonymous with New York agriculture, the State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, to announce the expansion of the state’s COVID vaccine eligibility list, yet he still refuses to protect farmworkers by including them in the ongoing rollout of phase 1b. The CDC recommends that food and agricultural workers be eligible for their own safety and that of our food system. (Fisher said) It is time do what is right and prioritize the essential workers who help ensure New Yorkers have food on their tables.”

New York State United Teachers has launched a $1 million statewide television and digital advertising campaign drawing attention to the critical safety guidelines that schools need to follow as they reopen more classrooms for in-person learning. Titled “My Kids,” the new 30-second ad notes the critical importance of in-person learning for students, drawing attention to the need for COVID-19 testing in schools, vaccine availability for education professionals, social distancing, mandatory masking, and sanitization and hygiene protocols as part of reopening strategies. It will air in all regions of the state for the next month.

Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a new expansion of COVID-19 vaccine eligibility in New York. Beginning today, all New Yorkers 60 years of age and older will be eligible to receive the vaccine, while public facing essential workers from governmental and nonprofit entities will be eligible beginning March 17. This expansion also includes public-facing essential building services workers. Additionally, the Governor announced that with increased supply of the vaccine, restrictions concerning which segments of the eligible population specific providers can vaccinate will be relaxed to align with the expanded eligibility on March 17.