Last Wednesday, links popped up locally and around the state that allowed people to fill out a form on the New York State Health Department website, prompting hundreds of innocent people to schedule their vaccine at locations including Audelicious, a.k.a. the Utica Auditorium Annex in Utica. The premature links also effected people in Binghamton, Buffalo, Plattsburgh, Potsdam, and Stony Brook. Later in the day, word began to spread that the appointments that caused such celebration, were actually cancelled by the state because the sign-up link shouldn't have been made public.
Calling it confusing and irresponsible, Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente is questioning why Governor Cuomo would place the responsibility of vaccine distribution on the shoulders of already overburdened hospitals across the state.