Deadly Day #311 of COVID Pandemic in Broome County
Broome County is reporting a big jump in deaths and new confirmed cases of COVID-19 over one day.
Officials say six residents: five women in their 70s, 80s and 90s and a man in his 80s have passed away, bringing Broome’s death toll January 5 to 183. There were 206 new cases reported in the county Tuesday for a total of 8,658.
There were no additional deaths reported in other counties in the Southern Tier.
Chenango County reported 30 new cases for a total of 1,326. Cortland County had 19 additional cases for a total of 2,594. Delaware County had 14 new cases for a total of 778 while Tioga County reported 48 new cases for a total of 1,861.
Meanwhile, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is calling on the federal government to improve supplying COVID vaccines to states so they can be passed on the local administrators. Cuomo says the state this week will have distributed around 911,000 vaccines to providers for the first tier of those eligible to get the shots, mainly health care workers and nursing homes, but over two million doses are needed just in the first tiers of the distribution.
Chenango County says it still has not received any vaccine while vaccines are being given in Broome County at places like Willow Point Nursing Home and the Binghamton Fire Department. And a site for United Health Services employees was operating January 5 at The Eckleberger Tower UHS medical and housing facility near Wilson Hospital in Johnson City.
Chenango County is urging residents to be patient and says once it gets its first vaccine delivery in a week ago it will look to vaccinate individuals in Phase 1A who have not already been given an inoculation by United Health Services.