Man battling COVID-19 for two months in the hospital, returns home
The 79-year-old wanted to be home to watch the Bills in the playoffs.
and last updated 2021-01-23 20:08:28-05
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WKBW) â Smiles and cheers filled the hospital lobby as a man in a wheelchair left through the front door.
In Niagara Falls, some doctors thought this day wasn t going to come, but Saturday, Richard Portale left the hospital.
The 79-Year-old spent the last 62 days in Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center battling COVID-19.
He s diabetic and a cancer survivor. He was in rough shape.
His family says doctors asked about hospice care a month ago. But, Portale kept fighting. After intensive care, his condition improved. Now he s heading home.
79-year-old cancer survivor successfully defeats two-month COVID-19 battle; released from NFMMC
Brooke Strangeland
and last updated 2021-01-23 15:15:46-05
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WKBW) â After a severe two-month bout with COVID-19, 79-year-old cancer survivor Richard Portale is now leaving Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center.
In mid-December, doctors asked Portale s family to begin making arrangements for hospice because they thought there would be no way he could beat COVID-19.
With the help of his son, also named Richard, and several prayer vigils and FaceTime calls, Richard was able to be released on Saturday successfully defeating COVID-19.
Portale is the the longest staying COVID-19 patient to survive this in Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center, and the first patient to receive the Regeneron cocktail.
If you re looking for somewhere to go to get tested for COVID-19 that will not cost you anything, there is a free testing event coming to Niagara Falls.
When the pandemic first began last March, I don t think that most of us imagined we would even still be talking about it at this time. But not only is it still an issue, in many parts of the country numbers are still going up and hospitals are getting overwhelmed.
One of the best ways to stop the spread is to know where it is. We can t defeat it if we can t identify where it is. That s tough to do if people have to pay for a test to see if they have it. Many people will just forego the test.
New York s vaccine supply shortage impacting local vaccinations
Governor Andrew Cuomo said the state expected more vaccines from the federal government when eligibility expanded, but that did not happen.
and last updated 2021-01-15 23:41:50-05 They had already sent out everything they had, so there was no increase in supply, Cuomo said.
He said the state received less, 250,000 for the upcoming week instead of 300,000.
It s a delay to an already slow process for Western New Yorkers like Edie Monroe. Monroe teaches in person five days a week and was eager to sign up for the vaccine when teachers became eligible.
Niagara Falls Memorial cancels COVID-19 vaccine clinics, cites supply shortage
The hospital says supply has not kept pace with demand, so clinics that were scheduled to start Monday and end next Friday will not happen. Author: WGRZ Staff Updated: 11:19 PM EST January 15, 2021
NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. Vaccinations clinics planned for next week have been canceled due to a supply shortage, Niagara Falls Memorial Medical Center announced Friday afternoon.
The hospital says supply has not kept pace with demand, so clinics that were scheduled to start Monday and end next Friday will not happen. As soon as we receive new vaccine shipments we will reschedule the clinics, the hospital said in a statement. Rest assured we are diligently working to get more vaccine doses delivered to our community. Thank you in advance for your patience and your cooperation.