Op-Ed: When it’s your turn, get vaccinated

I recently visited two pop-up clinics opened to help distribute COVID-19 vaccinations to under-served and high-risk communities. As I spoke with several people after they received their shot, I felt an overwhelming sense of relief that we were headed in the right direction. Those who received their vaccinations were thankful to be protected after the difficult year we have all faced.

According to health officials, there has been a steady decline in COVID-19 cases in Western New York since our local vaccination efforts began to accelerate. So far, more than 24% of adults in Erie County residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine and nearly 10% have completed vaccination. This is good news, but we need to make sure those numbers continue to rise.

In early March, President Biden announced that he expects the United States to have enough COVID-19 vaccines for every adult by the end of May. With the recent passage of the American Rescue Plan, billions of dollars of funding will be allocated to boost vaccine administration and distribution.

The increased national vaccine supply brings good news for our state. Starting this week, more essential workers in New York will be eligible for the vaccine and more vaccination sites will be allowed to provide a vaccine to eligible New Yorkers of any age. All New York residents 60 and older can already make appointments at any vaccination site.

To check whether you are eligible and schedule an appointment at a state-run site, you can visit: am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine .health.ny.gov or call 1-833-NYS-4-VAX. There are currently two state-run mass-vaccination sites in Erie County, located at the Delavan Grider Community Center and at the University at Buffalo South Campus. Another site will soon be opening at the Conference & Event Center in Niagara Falls.

It has been one year since the first cases of COVID-19 were reported in Erie County. This past year has been painful and difficult for everyone. More than 527,000 Americans have lost their lives, including 48,000 New Yorkers. In addition, the economic fallout from the pandemic has cost millions of jobs and shuttered small businesses across the country. The vaccine is how we will finally put an end to this pandemic. As the vaccine rollout continues, we know there is light at the end of the tunnel. The CDC recently announced that those who are vaccinated can safely gather in small groups indoors, without masks. It is a hopeful sign that a return to normalcy is around the corner.

Though we are moving in the right direction, now is not the time to let our guard down. We have come a long way since March 2020. We must continue to remain vigilant, or we risk squandering the progress that has been made. It is important to continue to follow CDC masking and social distancing guidelines in public.

We have made it this far together, so let’s keep making progress. When it’s your turn, get vaccinated for yourself and your community.