Skip to content
Home » Valentine's Day » Lower vaccination rates in Southern Tier concerns health officials

Lower vaccination rates in Southern Tier concerns health officials

As New York State reopens, the worry for an uptick in Covid-19 infections grows.

While the state has a 70% vaccination rate accomplishment, many counties are behind that mark, including Steuben, Chemung and Schuyler counties. They all have vaccination rates below 50%.


Steuben County Public Health Director Darlene Smith says all active cases, 14 in total, are among individuals without the vaccine.

While cases are being seen in Steuben county, none of them are the Delta variant.

Smith says she thinks travel is one of the reasons for the uptick, and the risks are higher now without the mask mandate.

Smith and other health officials worry that the low vaccination rates leave room for new variants and the chance for the public to escape immunity.