Latest news coming from the state is that Albany, Rensselaer, and Schenectady counties will be joining efforts in order to help the vaccination process in the region. This will be of great help to local medical staff that has been recently overwhelmed by the growing number of hospitalized patients. Certainly, this gesture will help take the stress off medical workers who had an extremely difficult year.
Rivers Casino & Resort will shortly transform into a vaccination center in order to distribute shots to local residents of age 65 or older. On Wednesday morning the public was informed that currently, the three municipalities are in possession of additional 3,000 vaccines. That is why management has decided to allocate them to the local elderly population of the state.
Joint Efforts
Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy, Rensselaer County Executive Steve McLaughlin, and Schenectady County Manager Rory Fluman briefed that the co-op project was possible due to its common nature and goal. Mr. McCoy stated that every distributed vaccine helps for the greater good of the population in the Capital Region. According to him, Saratoga County will also be included in the future.
Each county will receive approximately 1,000 doses from the additional allocation and might be rewarded with even more in the future thanks to their joint efforts and efficiency in distributing them. The availability of the vaccine increases with each that and that is why it becomes easier to distribute it across the population, responded Mr. McCoy after some media concerns on why now.
The upcoming Sunday, almost 1,100 Schenectady County eligible residents will be able to vaccinate with the shot. This comes as a relief after previous immunization shortages and appointment difficulties in the state have upset many locals. Schenectady County Legislator Sara Mae Pratt urged people who already have appointments to make way for the older population who is unable to travel.
The vaccination will be held on March 7 at Rivers Casino & Resort Schenectady, with starting hours from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Eligible residents must be at least 65 years of age or older, with appointments and proof of residency and age. Additionally, authorities inform that the second dose will be given on March 28 at the same location.
Extension of Operations
Rivers Casino & Resort in Schenectady briefed its visitors that starting from February 14, 2021, the gambling complex will be extending its working hours. The news came after Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that restaurants and bars in the state will be able to close down later than before. Guests of the gaming venue will be able to attend the property starting from 6 a.m. all the way to 11 p.m.
Governor’s Plans for the Industry
Another Gov. Cuomo’s statement that closely concerns the casino is his budget plan which aims to overcome the financial difficulties of the state and businesses. Several points from the proposed plan suggest that the casino should put on hold payments towards its horsepeople that are currently racing in Saratoga Casino. In addition to that, there is a suggestion to reduce the revenue tax of the property coming from slot machines.
Source: Cropley, John “Rivers Casino to host COVID vaccination for 1,100 county residents age 65 and up”, The Daily Gazette, March 4, 2021
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