ALBANY, N.Y. — As New York puts pressure on COVID-19 vaccine providers to quickly administer the vaccine, eyes are turning to regions as well to see how they're distributing the vaccine relative to the rest of the state.
The Finger Lakes and Western New York both have administration rates in the 80s for the first dose of the vaccine. The Finger Lakes has the second lowest first-dose administration rate at 83 percent.
New York City has the lowest rate at 71 percent for first doses.
The Finger Lakes administration rate for both first and second doses combined isn't much different, at 85 percent, and the third-lowest rate in the state, behind only New York City (74 percent) and Mid-Hudson (84 percent).
Of the 10 regions, Western New York floats in the middle for its rate of administering the first dose alone, as well as administering both the first and second doses. Western New York has administered 89 percent of initial doses and 91 percent of both first and second doses.
The state's vaccine allotment from the federal government will be lower next week, at 250,000 doses, 50,000 less than previous weeks.
This is causing local governments to have their allotments and clinics to be impact. As of Saturday, Erie County was forced to cancel three days of vaccine clinics this week.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo says supply remains a problem for the "universe" of over seven million people in New York who are now eligible for the vaccine under phases 1A and 1B.
"We are in a footrace to get the vaccine into the arms of eligible New Yorkers as quickly and equitably as possible," Governor Cuomo said. "However, we now have 7 million New Yorkers vying for a fraction of doses made available to use by the federal government. We need Washington to step up and increase New York's supply to make sure everyone who wants the vaccine has the opportunity to get it."
