Pictured is the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo is criticizing the federal government for the slow vaccine rollout and said the state will assist in getting it out faster.

On Tuesday, Cuomo noted that the federal government distributes the vaccines to states. Statewide, New York has been getting around 300,000 doses a week. He didn’t offer a breakdown by region.

“We hope, pray and expect the supply from the federal government will be increasing,” he said during a news conference.

Cuomo noted that the state and federal government both distribute the vaccine to local communities.

The federal government distributes all vaccines to nursing homes.

“That has not moved as quickly as we would like it to move. The state is now going to step in and expedite that program,” he said.

He said the goal is to have all nursing home residents and staff vaccinated with their first shots in two weeks. “That would be a very big deal if we can get the nursing homes residents vaccinated,” he said.

In Chautauqua County, Christine Schuyler, county public health director and commissioner of Social Services, said they aren’t informed on which nursing homes have received the vaccine and which haven’t.

“The federal government did enter into contacts with private pharmacies, locally which I believe were CVS and Walgreens, to vaccinate staff and residents. I do know the state and possibly us may be required to assist anywhere there are gaps,” she said.

Tom Holt, Lutheran president and chief executive officer in Jamestown said the rollout is going well for them. “We’ve gotten our first round of doses. We are scheduled for our second round of doses and the initial round of those that didn’t get the round the first time, so we are ahead of the game,” he said. “We just as a broader community need to get better at this. It is impossible for us as health care providers to keep everyone in our facility safe when the community that we live in isn’t being safe.”

VACCINES FOR OTHER ESSENTIAL WORKERS

Cuomo is also continuing his push for hospitals to get their vaccines out within a seven-day period or face a fine and lose the prospect of getting more vaccine in the future. “We have 194 hospitals. We have other hospitals who can do it,” he said.

In Chautauqua County, Schuyler said both Brooks-TLC and UPMC Chautauqua were given permission from the state to share some of their vaccine doses with the county Health Department. “Hospitals are very busy taking care of patients. They’re not the ideal place for healthy people to have to go to get a vaccine,” she said.

So far, the county has received 200 doses from UPMC and 450 doses from Brooks-TLC. On Tuesday, the county Health Department also received another 200 doses from the state– the first doses they’ve received directly from them. That vaccine is available to qualified essential workers, including those who work in health care, emergency medical services, and Office for People With Developmental Disabilities, which would include The Resource Center. On the county Health Department’s website, it states there are vaccination clinics set for today and Saturday, however both clinics were full and are no longer accepting anymore people.

Schuyler said she wasn’t sure how soon the vaccine would be sent to local doctors offices, but she hopes it will be soon.

“The state has surveyed health care providers and I am hopeful that means they will soon start distributing vaccine to other entities, such as private medical offices, to assist them in getting their own staff vaccinated and their patients,” she said.

ACTIVE CASES RISE

The number of active cases of COVID-19 continue to rise in Chautauqua County. The health department on Tuesday announced there were currently 680 active cases in addition to 102 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus.

To date, 4,199 people within the county have been confirmed to have the virus.

The county recorded one new hospitalization, currently at 51.

Of the new cases reported Tuesday, 38 involve people living in the Dunkirk zip code, 18 in Fredonia, 21 in Jamestown, and six in Silver Creek.

Jay Young contributed to this report.