Just after a test run of the New Year's Eve ball drop at the Electric Tower Tuesday morning, Dr. Raul Vazquez, president and CEO of G-Health, one of the region's largest urban health organizations, stood on the sidewalk off Washington Street, worrying about what the next few weeks will bring.
He had just spoken at a news conference with the mayor about the plans for Friday night. He was there to underscore the potential dangers of the spread of Covid-19, especially for those who are unvaccinated.
In a few days, tens of thousands of people are expected to gather right where he was standing to watch the shiny ball drop and say goodbye to 2021. Many more will gather at bars and houses.
They will laugh and sing and dance and drink and, chances are, be exposed to Covid-19.
"We're at 800,000-plus people that have died," Vazquez told a reporter after the event. "We've become numb."
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Buffalo's New Year's Eve ball drop was held virtually last year because of the pandemic. It will be back this year although the accompanying First Night Buffalo party, traditionally held inside the Convention Center, was canceled.
Mayor Byron Brown asked revelers who want to be part of the celebration to "do the right thing." He urged everyone coming downtown to be vaccinated – and boosted – and to wear masks, even outside.
"There's pent-up demand to get out," Brown said. "We want to let people come out and enjoy New Year's Eve, enjoy themselves. But they have to be part of the effort to do it responsibly."
He said there will be no enforcement of those guidelines. "It is an honor system," Brown said.
New York City, host to a much bigger and more famous ball drop, is requiring people coming to Times Square to show proof of vaccination and limiting the number of people who will be let in.
Brown said that's not logistically possible in Buffalo.Â
"We would have a real challenge in trying to limit the number of people coming down to the ball drop in Buffalo," Brown said. "In New York City, they have over 30,000 police officers. We don't have quite the same level of personnel here in Buffalo. And throughout the course of the pandemic we have seen the public in Buffalo and Western New York be reasonably responsible and we're asking people to be responsible on New Year's Eve here in Buffalo as well."
Vazquez, speaking at the news conference, urged the unvaccinated to stay away from the festivities.
"If you're sick, or you're unvaccinated, you probably shouldn't come to these events," he said. "Most people are not going to follow that."
With the Omicron variant quickly spreading through the region, Vazquez said he's already seeing a higher volume of Covid patients at his clinics than at any point since March 2020.
"That should scare you," Vazquez said.
With eight staffers recently testing positive, Vazquez said his organization has reverted to telehealth-only appointments.
He predicted a "bump" in new cases over the next two to three weeks.
Many people, even those who are vaccinated, will likely catch Covid, he said. But those who are vaccinated will mostly have mild or moderate cases. Those who are not are much more likely to have severe cases.
"If you want to stick around for 2022, try to do the right thing," Vazquez said.
