Vaccine Tourism in Broome County

Broome County officials say while New York State indicated from the start that the vaccination site at the former Gannett publishing location in Johnson City was a regional facility, that site and others are actually open to any New Yorker who scores an appointment. 

Associated Press reports some New Yorkers are taking hours-long drives to get the COVID-19 vaccine because of a lack of available appointments at state-run sites closer to home.

Residents in Albany and Buffalo have had to sign up for appointments hours away in Utica, Rochester, Binghamton or Syracuse and many downstate residents with or without connections to students at Binghamton University have been found making the trek to Johnson City to get a shot.

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The new expansion of the list of those eligible to receive the limited number of vaccines to include those with underlying health conditions is putting additional strain on the system.

The county-run vaccination pods are addressing residents in the original 1a and 1b priority groups that include health care workers and other essential workers while pharmacies are vaccinating residents age 65 and older.  The state is scheduling appointments for all eligible residents, including the new group of those with comorbidities.

Even with an increase in the amount of doses being set to the states and then down to local sites, there are far more people wanting to get vaccinated than there are vaccines available.