BINGHAMTON, NY (WSKG) — Nearly one in five Broome County residents have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
County Executive Jason Garnar announced during his weekly COVID-19 briefing on Wednesday that 17 percent of residents are on track to be fully vaccinated.
Garnar said it’s the result of the county’s planning and infrastructure.
“We said at the beginning that we will put these shots into arms as quickly as we get the doses, and that’s exactly what we’re doing,” the county executive said.
Broome County’s vaccination rate is ahead of the statewide average, which sits at 12.3 percent. The county received 800 vaccine doses in its allocation from the state this week—an increase from weeks past—and plans to hold several vaccination clinics.
While vaccine rollout is speeding up, COVID-19 cases continue to fluctuate. The county experienced a small rise in cases this week as a result of viral spread among Binghamton University students.
The campus had a student positivity rate of nearly 2.5 percent on a seven-day rolling average as of Wednesday. Roughly half of new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday were among students and faculty associated with BU.
Garnar said he is working with campus officials to keep numbers low.
“They are being proactive and we’re hopeful that they can get those cases down and we believe that they will with what they’ve put into place,” Garnar said.
Earlier this week, BU put all clubs and performances on hold until further notice. All dining halls will be take-out only.
Sports teams that test players three times a week are able to practice and compete and classes remain in person.
The campus previously moved its classes online in October when it approached the five percent threshold set by the State University of New York.