New York State Fairgrounds one of New York State’s vaccination sites

UPDATE:

DAY 1 DOWN: 767 people were vaccinated against coronavirus on the first day of the clinic at the @NYSFair Expo Center. pic.twitter.com/DQaHC2Bnxb

— Andrew Donovan (@AndrewDonovan) January 14, 2021

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HAPPENING NOW: Through the windows behind @LtGovHochulNY, Central New York’s essential workers like teachers and grocery store workers are getting their first doses of the coronavirus vaccine at the @NYSFair. pic.twitter.com/Q2D8IKJw7Z

— Andrew Donovan (@AndrewDonovan) January 13, 2021

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GEDDES, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — Beginning on Wednesday, the Expo Center at the New York State Fairgrounds will be opening up as a mass vaccination site, giving thousands of Central New Yorkers their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. However, appointments for Wednesday are already booked.

The New York State Fairgrounds has played a major role throughout the pandemic, serving as a testing site, a food distribution site, and now a mass vaccination site. 

Thousands of Central New Yorkers who are in groups 1A and 1B under the state’s vaccination plan are eligible to get their shots there. That includes a wide range of people like educators, first responders, public safety and transit workers, and others on the front line, like grocery store workers.

On Tuesday, New York State Governor Andrew Cuomo adopted CDC guidelines, now offering the vaccine to those who are 65 and older. Those people are specifically going to pharmacies like Kinney Drugs and Wegmans, where appointments are already filling up.

The main problem is New York State is only getting 300,000 doses a week from the federal government and there are more than seven million people eligible to get the vaccine in the state.

State leaders are asking people to be patient as the state awaits more doses from the government.

“Our pod will be able to do much more. We will open up an additional pod if we have to to do more. Pharmacies will be able to do more. Primary care physicians will be able to get vaccines. This is coming. But we need the vaccine supply to really activate that additional infrastructure,” said Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon.

The state is running the site at the Fairgrounds, and Onondaga County is providing the staff.

You’re asked to make your appointments for this site through the state website.