Western New York is expected to see its first shipment of the coronavirus vaccine arrive this weekend.
A total of 17,000 doses will arrive in the region, but Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said don’t expect to head to your primary care doctor or a clinic for a shot anytime soon.
“There’s no vaccine that’s going to be available to the public for months in all likelihood," Poloncarz said Thursday. "We’ve heard that from Dr. Fauci, we’ve heard that from New York State in Dr. [Howard] Zucker. So I don’t want people to think that if they go to their doctor’s office next week or Jan. 1, they’re going to be able to get the vaccine. It’s just not the case.”
Some area doctors have raised concerns that the county vaccine distribution team relies too heavily on business leaders to assist. Poloncarz believes logistics wise, the business community is best fit for the role.
“These are individuals who are used to hundreds of thousands of dollars of goods coming in and out," Poloncarz said, "and that’s what we’re talking about, the operational aspect of it.”
The first round of doses to Western New York are being received and distributed solely by a local hospital system. They will initially administer the vaccine to high-risk healthcare workers and some of the over 4,500 nursing home residents in Erie County.
