County government officials in New York are collecting strategies for how best to incentivize people to get their COVID-19 vaccination as more than half of New Yorkers age 18 and older have completed the vaccination series. 

The New York State Association of Counties and the State Association of County Health Officials in a joint effort on Tuesday announced plans to catalogue the various vaccine incentive plans on the local government, which have ranged from free beer and food to tickets to sporting events. 

"From Day one of this pandemic, counties had to write their own playbook for how to protect citizens, stay within the state’s parameters, and combat the virus," said Ontario County Board Chairman Jack Marren, the president of the state counties association. "Whether it was securing adequate PPE, standing up testing and tracing operations, or getting vaccines into the arms of hard-to-reach populations, counties worked together and learned from each other to solve these challenges. This important initiative builds on those efforts, so counties can get strategies into the field as soon as possible."

The effort comes as New York on Wednesday is set to shed some pandemic restrictions and end mask requirements for people who are now fully vaccinated in line with a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendation first made last week. 

New York has now distributed 17.7 million vaccine doses, Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday announced. Overall, 42.2% of New York residents have completed the vaccine series to achieve a level of immunity.

But there have been concerns the initial interest in vaccinations are waning, and some people remain skeptical or have struggled to find the time to get their shots.  

"One of the lessons we learned during the pandemic is that it’s up to us to act and to find answers to the challenges before us," said NYSCEA President and Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro. "No one else is coming to help. That’s why we’re launching this new initiative to share the innovative work counties are doing to drive vaccination rates. It’s up to us to get this done, and if we all work together and share ideas, we can be successful in ending this pandemic and getting life back to normal."