Thursday January 21 2021
New York's Vaccine Supply is "Week to Week"
New York has about two to three days of vaccines in supply before needing another shipment of doses as more vaccination sites themselves are opening up, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday said. 

New York has now administered more than 1.1 million doses, with 86% of those doses being the first of two shots. The pace of vaccine doses has increased steadily in recent days, Cuomo said, for an average of about 65,000 doses a day. 

Vaccine distribution in New York and in many parts of the country has lagged behind initial goals while the number of people eligible for the vaccine -- health care workers, essential government workers, first responders and people over age 65 and those with immune compromised systems -- has also expanded. 

There are now more than 7 million people in New York eligible to schedule a vaccination."You will see a constant pattern of running out, waiting for the next week's allocation and then running out again," Cuomo said.  
Congresswoman Stefanik Announces More Than $45 Million in Funding for North Country Colleges, Universities and BOCES 
Congresswoman Stefanik has announced that public and non-profit colleges and universities in New York’s 21st Congressional District will receive more than $45,000,000 in funding to support continued education. “I am proud to announce that public and non-profit colleges and universities in the North Country will receive more than $45 million dollars from the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSAA).... This funding can be put towards financial aid grants to students, student support activities, and a variety of institutional costs, including lost revenue, reimbursement for expenses already incurred, technology costs associated with a transition to distance education, faculty and staff trainings, and payroll."
 
Allocations to institutions are based on the relative shares of Federal Pell Grant recipients, non-Pell Grant recipients, and Federal Pell and non-Pell Grant recipients exclusively enrolled in distance education prior to the coronavirus emergency. The list of awards in our area is below:

  • Clarkson University: $3,872,273 
  • Clinton Community College: $1,545,848
  • Clinton-Essex-Warren-Washington BOCES: $128,983 
  • North Country Community College: $2,219,613 
  • Paul Smith’s College: $1,357,184 
  • SUNY Plattsburgh: $8,423,237 
  • Washington-Saratoga-Warren-Hamilton-Essex BOCES: $20,845
Hudson Headwaters Schedules Around 3,000 COVID-19 Vaccines as Phase 1B Gets Underway
Hudson Headwaters Health Network helps communities stay healthy across roughly 7,200 square miles through the North Country. This week, they laid out some details on how they’re getting COVID-19 vaccines out to those eligible in New York’s Phase 1A and 1B plans.

The 3,000 or so vaccinations currently scheduled will deplete the supply of Moderna vaccines Hudson Headwaters has received from the New York State Department of Health. As of right now, there’s no clear sign of when another batch will come.

The network advises using its online portal for up-to-date vaccine information, saying that phone lines at individual centers are too swamped to keep up.
New York Won’t Tax Businesses on Forgivable PPP Loans
The State Department of Taxation and Finance says the state will not treat Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans as income as long as borrowers complied with PPP regulations — namely they didn’t lay off employees or they brought back furloughed employees.
Small Business Update - US Chamber
Here is the US Chamber of Commerce's webinar on the Coronavirius relief deal and it's effect on your business.
Send us Your Valentine's Day Specials
We know that Valentine's Day business is crucial to many local restaurants and serves as a boost in profit during the challenging winter months. Because of that, we want to continue our #dinelocal campaign with a Valentine's Day twist we're calling #lovelocal.

Whether you are offering dine in, take out, delivery, specials, dinner packages or requiring reservations, let us know what you're up to this Valentine's Day so that we can help spread the word to the community and continue to encourage residents to #dinelocal.

To sign up, click the link below to fill out a quick questionnaire telling us what you are up to this Valentine's Day. Get everything in to us by January 25th, 2021 and we will use our website, social media platforms and e-newsletters to shout your #lovelocal offerings throughout the North Country!
** Must be a North Country Chamber of Commerce member restaurant to participate.
Thank You to Our Today's Dose Sponsors:
To help the North Country remain open safely and to help area businesses understand the latest information for the State and Federal Government surrounding the continuing COVID-19 Pandemic The North Country Chamber of Commerce continues to maintain a comprehensive list of resources to navigate these requirements. Check out the home page for details.
QUICK LINKS:
  • Forward NY: Official State Website for opening procedures and guidelines.
  • NYS Travel Advisory: Stay up to date on the latest NYS Travel Advisory Updates.
  • Looking for Supplies: If your business is looking for hard to find protective products, we have created a list of businesses offering hand sanitizer, gloves, wipes, masks and other items.
  • SCORE: Small business owners are resilient and can power through this challenging time, with SCORE by their side.
Have Questions? We're here to help!

North Country Chamber of Commerce
518.563.1000