ENDWELL, NY (WSKG) — Corning Community College and SUNY Oneonta will soon be host to mass vaccination distribution sites facilitated by New York State, boosting the availability of doses in those areas.
In a release from Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office, details were not provided as to the exact opening dates and availability of appointments, but it did not those details will be provided in coming weeks.
The need for more doses in Corning and the surrounding areas is clear. According to the state’s vaccine tracker, Steuben County has the third lowest percentage of its population with at least one COVID-19 vaccine shot at 13.4 percent, followed narrowly only by Brooklyn and the Bronx. Comparatively, 23.2 percent of Broome County residents have received at least one jab.
“We can't put the needle in your arm if you don't bring your arm forward. That's what we're asking you to do today,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo said at a closed-press event at the Javits Center in Manhattan, one of several mass vaccination sites in the city.
The new setups in Corning and Oneonta are part of ten new mass sites the state announced Monday. They will operate along 13 existing state sites activated late last year in addition to several other vehicles for vaccine distribution. This includes county-run points of dispersal, pharmacies and FEMA pop-up sites.
There are currently state-run sites in Johnson City, Olean, Rochester and Syracuse. Several of those sites continue to have availability for those determined to be eligible through the state’s website.
According to information released by the Governor’s office Monday, 192,102 first and second doses have been administered in the Southern Tier, or 84 percent of all doses received. The region includes Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Delaware, Schuyler, Steuben, Tioga and Tompkins Counties.