BUFFALO, N.Y. — Despite a pause for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, there are still a lot of vaccine appointments available in Western New York.
There are so many open appointments, in some cases, that the Erie County Executive mentioned on Tuesday that walk-ins might be allowed on a clinic-by-clinic basis.
For now, you still need to make an appointment.
There's a new online portal to make appointments at Erie County-run sites, and appointments at the KeyBank Center site are still available. There are also several pop-up clinics coming up in Erie County, including one Saturday at Southside Elementary for the Moderna vaccine.
Checking out other counties, in Niagara County for county-run sites, they are not making new appointments right now, so they're kind of the outlier of the group.
In Allegany County, UR Jones Memorial Hospital in Wellsville has appointments available for the Moderna vaccine. You have to call them directly for an appointment.
In Cattaraugus County on Thursday in Olean, there's a clinic with a few dozen spots still available. You have to make an appointment online.
And in Chautauqua County, there's a clinic Friday at SUNY Fredonia for the first dose of the Moderna vaccine. You have to be 18 or older. There are more than 1,000 open appointments still.
The state-run site at the Delavan-Grider Community Center has openings. Remember, there's a residency requirement for that one: you have to live in Erie County, and you'll get the Pfizer vaccine there.
Pharmacies also have appointments available and you can also call your doctor to see if they have gotten any doses.
These are just some of the options out there. Remember, you will also make the appointment to get your second shot before you leave your first appointment.