BUFFALO, N.Y. — Starting Wednesday morning, certain Erie County residents will be able to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine appointment at a new pop-up clinic at the Delavan-Grider Community Center.
The clinic opens up on March 3 and it will be run by the state and FEMA. It's expected to have the capacity to administer 1,000 doses per day.
In order to qualify to get vaccinated at this site, you must already be included in either the 1A or 1B category and you must live in one of these 10 zip codes: 14201, 14204, 14208, 14209, 14211, 14212, 14213, 14214, 14215, 14222.
You must first schedule an appointment by calling the state's COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline,1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829) or visiting New York's 'Am I Eligible' website, here.
If you qualify, you can sign up beginning Wednesday at 8 a.m., but do not call the Erie County Department of Health in an attempt to do so, as the county is not handling these appointments.
"New York State will be scheduling the sites, but the federal government will actually be running the sites," said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.
Again, you can schedule your appointment by calling the state's COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline,1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829) or visiting New York's 'Am I Eligible' website, here.
In a COVID briefing Tuesday afternoon, Poloncarz addressed why this location was selected.
He explained, "The percentage of individuals of color who have received the vaccine in Erie County is much less than what the actual percentage of communities of color are in Erie County. It's actually exceptionally low. It's disappointing to see. So the federal government and the state have joined together for a pop-up clinic to try to alleviate that to give individuals who want the vaccine who live in these areas of concern an opportunity to get it."
You can view our previous reporting on this here.
A spokesperson with the governor's office confirmed to 2 On Your Side Tuesday evening that after one week, the state plan is to open it up to eligible individuals within the broader community.
More info here.