Leaders Ramp Up Youth COVID Vaccination Push Across New York State

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JAMESTOWN – State leaders are ramping up their push to vaccinate youth against COVID-19 across New York, this as four new deaths and 185 additional infections were reported in Chautauqua County.

According to the county’s COVID-19 Dashboard, there are now 466 cases active countywide with 34 people in the hospital. Of the new cases reported from over the weekend, 80 are in the Jamestown area.

As for vaccinations, the New York State Department of Health reports 68,822 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine making up 53 percent of the population.

The seven-day average positivity rate is at 9.1 percent and the CDC continues to mark the area under a high level of community transmission of the virus.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul Tuesday continued her push to get youth 12 to 17 vaccinated against the virus part of her #VaxToSchool campaign.

“Since becoming Governor four weeks ago, I’ve made it clear that we need to bring children, teachers and staff back to school safely,” Hochul said. “With these pop-up vaccinations sites, we are ramping up our #VaxtoSchool campaign on the road and going into communities where vaccination rates are still lagging among young New Yorkers, so we can reach as many families as possible and make our schools safer for students and staff.”

The Governor says over the next 12 weeks, the State Department of Health will be working with localities, community-based organizations and healthcare centers on-the-ground to establish 120 new vaccination sites in all regions of the state.

In partnership with the State, each region will be hosting two new events per week. There will also be additional outreach efforts tailored to best meet the needs of specific communities.

As for vaccinations locally, the State Department of Health reports 68,822 people have received at least one dose of the vaccine making up 53 percent of the population.