From left are Dr. Kirk Young, JCC vice president of Student Affairs; Barry Swanson, coordinator of Safety and Security; Health and Human Services Public Health Division Staff Teresa Miller, RN; Janelle Hartloff, RN; Cathy Burgess, Director of Community Health Nursing; Sharoyn Ruby, Clinic Manager; Christine Schuyler, Public Health Director; Natalie Whiteman, PHEP Coordinator; Bree Agett, Epidemiologist; and County Executive PJ Wendel.

On a day state Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that New York state bars and restaurants can stay open until midnight beginning Monday, Chautauqua County had another reason to note progress in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic battle.

The Health Department celebrated its staff and partners on Wednesday at its mass vaccination clinic at the State University of New York at Fredonia. Commendations were made and balloons released in celebration of county-run vaccinations sites administering 25,111 doses by the end of the day on Friday.

Public Health Director Christine Schuyler voiced appreciation about reaching the milestone. Schuyler praised public health staff, fellow county agencies, volunteers, SUNY Jamestown Community College nursing students, JCC and the State University of New York at Fredonia administration, the town of Chautauqua, and the community at large in her announcement on Wednesday.

“I am so proud of the work of this health department and what we’ve been able to do throughout this pandemic thanks to teamwork, partnership and a community who cares. We will never be able to appropriately recognize and thank our public health staff for their endless efforts for over a year now,” she said. “It is so exhilarating to see so many get vaccinated and help put an end to this pandemic.”

County Executive PJ Wendel handed out COVID-19 hero pins at the event. “I am honored to be part of this exciting milestone in our vaccination process in Chautauqua County,” he said. “As this process started, the vaccine was trickling in, and to see how many of our residents have been vaccinated since we began is a testament to our staff and our collaboration with providers such as The Chautauqua Center, UPMC Chautauqua, Brooks TLC, AHN/Westfield Memorial Hospital, our private practices, pharmacies, as well as SUNY Fredonia and JCC. We have shown how working together brings success for our residents.”

The county-run mass vaccination clinics have been successful because of the ability to partner with SUNY JCC, SUNY Fredonia, and the town of Chautauqua for the use of appropriate facility space. “These facilities are ideal for mass clinics and administration and support staff have been extremely accommodating in fully supporting our vaccination efforts. Out of the 25,111 doses administered by the County, 9,503 were at JCC, 8,766 at SUNY Fredonia, and 4,514 at the Chautauqua Municipal Building,” Schuyler said.

“SUNY Fredonia is proud to partner with the Chautauqua County Department of Health to provide vaccination opportunities for our community,” said SUNY Fredonia President Stephen H. Kolison, Jr., Ph.D.

SUNY JCC President Daniel DeMarte stated, “The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us all the value of working closely with community partners in accomplishing a common goal. We greatly value our close partnership with the Chautauqua County Health Department, and their work in distributing the COVID-19 vaccine on our campus has only deepened that relationship in ways that none of us could have imagined 13 months ago.”

In terms of numbers, 37.4% of residents here — 47,830 — have received a first dose and 31,170 have completed the series. Overall, New York state reports 39.1% of residents have had the first shot.

As for the virus, positivity rates continued to inch up in the county, according to Tuesday’s numbers. The Health Department reports the rate at 2.4%,a 0.2% increase from Monday as 32 new cases were reported.

In all, there are 8,572 total cases in the county with 8,250 recoveries. One hundred forty-two cases are active and 12 people are hospitalized with the virus.