Onondaga County

Onondaga County plans to soon shift its COVID-19 vaccine efforts and resources to focus on specific communities. County Executive Ryan McMahon said today that close to 200,000 county residents have received at least the first dose of a vaccine, but around 75% of the population needs to be vaccinated in order to reach herd immunity.

Onondaga County residents can expect to stop paying the 4% energy tax enacted during the pandemic earlier than expected. County Executive Ryan McMahon said now that the county has a better picture of the coronavirus’s economic impact, he believes it’s no longer necessary.

Onondaga County residents 30 and older are newly eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine and those 16 and older will soon follow. New York State announced the change Monday. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon has been calling for expanded eligibility in order for the county to maintain its current vaccination pace.

A plan to address vaccine hesitancy will have to wait until Onondaga County is allowed to vaccinate all adults willing to get a shot. County Executive Ryan McMahon said Thursday his staff needs a complete dataset before developing a plan for outreach and micro targeting communities. Vaccine eligibility is currently limited to those 50 and older, people with comorbidities or people with certain jobs.

A federally-funded vaccine clinic run by Syracuse Community Health Center could improve the lagging vaccination rates within some Syracuse zip codes. Senator Chuck Schumer announced Thursday $32 billion would be allocated to community health clinics across New York State to operate as points of distribution and supplied directly by the federal government.

Onondaga County is vaccinating residents against COVID-19 at a rate that has local leaders asking for the state to increase eligibility. County Executive Ryan McMahon said many of those included in Phases 1A and 1B are no longer having trouble booking a vaccine appointment, and many categories are reaching capacity. 

Onondaga County updated school district guidance Thursday that allows districts to decrease the amount of distance between student’s desks. The change is an attempt to get more children back into schools.

Onondaga County will get a big bump in vaccine supply this week. The state will give the county over 6,000 doses, which is about three times more than its typical weekly allotment.