BUFFALO, N.Y. — 2 On Your Side is working to answer your questions about everything from the COVID relief bill to where you can get a vaccine appointment in Western New York.
The $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill is more than 600 pages long, and Evan S. wanted to know, "Are the new benefits on top of the $700 we are receiving?"
Evan is asking about unemployment benefits.
Right now, Evan is likely receiving his normal unemployment amount, plus an additional $300 a week in federal funds from the CARES Act. He's wondering if the extra unemployment money included in the new COVID relief bill is on top of what he's already getting.
The answer is no. The extra $300 included in the Senate version of the bill is a continuation of the extra $300 he's already getting. This bill extends those benefits through September 6. They were set to expire Sunday.
Over the weekend, Ella asked, "Do you know if they're redistributing all the unused vaccine from the Potsdam location? Today alone there were almost 700 empty appointments."
The state runs that Potsdam clinic. For an answer, 2 On Your Side went to the New York State Department of Health.
We did not receive an answer by our deadline, but we were able to find state guidance online that went into effect Friday. It says any provider not on track to administer all received doses to eligible populations within the week of receipt, must notify the state. It also explains how the state is allowed to sign off on vaccines being transferred to another clinic.
But, without a response from the state, we do not know what happened to any doses allocated for Potsdam.
And a viewer emailed us asking, "Do you guys know of anywhere people with underlying conditions can get a vaccine? This is ridiculous. The only places like CVS, Walgreens, Tops where you can make an appointment, are only for people 65 and over or essential workers."
So, where can people with comorbidities who qualify for Phase 1B get vaccinated? People in this group who live in Erie County can go to the Delavan-Grider clinic, but you need an appointment and it's fully booked right now. You can also go to any state-run clinic that doesn't have residency restrictions. Hospitals are also vaccinating a very limited number of people with comorbidities.
However, starting March 17, anyone eligible to be vaccinated can make an appointment at any provider they choose except pharmacies, which can only vaccinate those 60 and up, as well as teachers and daycare workers.