On Friday, three more New York cases of the high transmissible B.1.1.7 variant of COVID-19, first identified in the United Kingdom, were announced.

This brings the state’s tally to 25.

Two of the new cases are in Westchester and one in Kings County, said Governor Andrew Cuomo at his press briefing on Friday.

Health-care workers are to be vaccinated in hospitals, essential workers are to be vaccinated by city and county health departments or through unions, and people 65 or older are to be vaccinated by pharmacies and mass sites run by the state.

Some good numbers on Thursday came from the state’s Department of Labor, which announced the fifth straight month of declining unemployment rates in New York.

“I just don’t want to wait that long,” one elderly woman with diabetes told The Enterprise when asked about scheduling a traditional appointment to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have sounded the alarm on the highly transmissible variant of COVID-19 first identified in the United Kingdom, hastening the urgency for vaccination distribution.

“January continues to be on track to be the deadliest month since the outbreak started,” said Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy.

An annual calendar is the result of an art contest launched in 2004 by the Foundation for Quality Care Inc., the New York State Health Facilities Association, and the New York State Center for Assisted Living.

Residents may dial 2-1-1 to learn about the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine and how to sign up for a vaccination.

The governor wrote to Pfizer on Monday to see if New York State could purchase COVID-19 vaccine directly from the company that made it.

On Sunday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that, for the second day in a row, New York State has another case of the highly transmissible strain of COVID-19 first identified in the United Kingdom. This latest case is in Westchester County, bringing the state’s total of B.1.1.7 cases to 18.