Liberty, NY – Public Health Director Nancy McGraw is pleased to announce that Sullivan County and partners have vaccinated 30,000 people against COVID-19 as of this week, with more being added daily.
“Our population is just under 76,000, and when you remove those less than 12 years old and thus unable to receive a vaccine dose, approximately 60% of our residents have fully completed their vaccinations,” McGraw noted. “And there are close to 5,000 more who are on their way to joining them in ensuring our communities are safe from this highly contagious virus.”
Most of New York State is seeing similar success in vaccination efforts, with Governor Andrew Cuomo announcing this week that the State will fully reopen when 70% of its population has been vaccinated.
“We’re doing our part to push past this pandemic and welcome a return to normalcy,” McGraw affirmed. “I encourage everyone who might be hesitant or concerned to contact Public Health or their own physician to get the facts about these safe and effective vaccines, so that we all can abandon the masks, the fear and the many negative impacts of COVID-19 as soon as possible.”
“We’ve crossed the 50% threshold, which is significant, but we’re not done yet,” said District 2 Legislator Nadia Rajsz, who chairs the Legislature’s Health & Family Services Committee. “The goal is to get all of us protected against this virus, especially the new, more virulent strains. The science proves that vaccinated people are better protected.”
“I want to thank my staff and our collaborators for the outstanding job they’ve done to reach this point, because it certainly hasn’t been easy,” McGraw pointed out. “They’ve put in the hours, the effort and the compassion for their neighbors, friends and family, and I am forever grateful to have them on our team.”