Orange County Health Department administers COVID-19 vaccinations to residents

Approximately 1,000 people received the vaccine at the County’s Point of Distribution (POD)

Posted 1/24/21

Under the direction of Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus, the County’s Health Department in collaboration with its Medical Reserve Corps Unit (MRC), the Department of Emergency Services …

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Orange County Health Department administers COVID-19 vaccinations to residents

Approximately 1,000 people received the vaccine at the County’s Point of Distribution (POD)

Posted

Under the direction of Orange County Executive Steven M. Neuhaus, the County’s Health Department in collaboration with its Medical Reserve Corps Unit (MRC), the Department of Emergency Services and local medical providers administered the Moderna COVID-19 vaccination to approximately 1,000 residents on Thursday, January 21st.

“Orange County continues to administer 100 percent of the vaccination provided to us by the State,” Neuhaus said. “The County has the capacity to vaccinate thousands of residents each week but supplies from the State and Federal Governments have been limited. My office will continue to advocate for Orange County residents, requesting that an adequate supply for those who want to be vaccinated be made available by the State.”

Neuhaus commended the work of the County’s Health Department, MRC, and Emergency Services for running another efficient POD. He also reminded residents to remain vigilant about COVID-19 safety measures, including wearing a face mask, frequent hand washing and social distancing.

The County’s POD on Thursday was held at a County facility on Hatfield Lane with vaccines allocated by New York State. Orange County previously received and administered more than 1,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine at the Emergency Services Center over the last two weeks.

At this time, residents in Phase 1A and 1B of the State’s Phased Distribution Plan are eligible to be vaccinated. For more information about the State’s distribution plan, go to covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/phased-distribution-vaccine#phase-1a

“As vaccine is slowly rolled out, residents should understand that the amount available is significantly less than what we currently need,” said Commissioner of Health Dr. Irina Gelman.  “We are excited that we have been able to administer the 2,000 doses in the past few weeks, and we will continue to set up PODs as doses become available to us.”

New York State has established state-operated sites across the state - residents can utilize the State’s online “Am I Eligible?” tool at https://am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/ to determine if they are currently eligible for vaccinations and, if so, will see a list of those state-operated locations where appointments may be available. Additionally, New York State has begun limited distribution of the vaccine to various pharmacy locations throughout the State.

Please note, appointments CANNOT be made by calling the Orange County Health Department’s Information Call Center as appointments must currently be made through a state-operated online registration system. New York State’s COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline, 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829), is available to make appointments at New York State-run vaccination sites.

Current vaccine supply is very limited, and Governor Cuomo has previously announced that distribution to Phase 1A and 1B is expected to take 14 weeks based on current projected vaccine availability. New York State is currently receiving approximately 250,000 to 300,000 vaccine doses per week, with more than seven million eligible New Yorkers including doctors, nurses and health care workers, people age 65 and over, first responders, teachers, public transit workers, grocery store workers and public safety workers. Eligible residents should anticipate it may be several weeks before they can get an appointment as demand far exceeds supply.