BUFFALO, N.Y. — More people in New York State are receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.
According to data from the New York State Department of Health, 16.2% of the state’s population has now had one dose of the vaccine and 8.6% of the population is fully vaccinated.
Erie County leads the way in Western New York with 16.8% of the county’s population receiving at least one dose, while Allegany County has the lowest percent in the state at 10.5%. Orleans County has the third lowest percent in the state at 11%.
In addition to Erie County, only Chautauqua and Wyoming counties are within one percentage point of the state average. And none of the counties in Western New York are more than a point above the state average. It’s the only one of the state’s 10 regions that does not have at least one county where that is true.
The state announced Thursday three new mass vaccination sites that will dispense the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Two of those locations are in Batavia and Olean. All available appointments at Western New York locations are currently unavailable, according to the state's 'Am I Eligible' website.
The number of people testing positive for COVID-19 continues to decline. The statewide positive rate is 2.81%, the lowest since November 21, 2020, according to the Governor's office.
The seven day average for COVID-19 positives in the Western New York Region is 1.85% as of March 2. The WNY region includes Erie, Niagara, Chautauqua, Cattaraugus and Allegany counties.
The number of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the Western New York region increased slightly to 182 on Wednesday. That’s up from four from the day before.
The current rolling average of the percent positive for the eight counties in the WNY area are ranked below.
1. Wyoming 4.4%
2. Cattaraugus 3.2%
3. Erie 2.5%
4. Niagara 2.4%
5. Genesee 2.2%
6. Orleans 1.8%
7. Chautauqua 1.6%
8. Allegany 1.0%