Dutchess County Confirms COVID-19 Vaccine
Allocation, Opens New Appointment Slots
Poughkeepsie, NY … Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro announced the County’s Department of Behavioral & Community Health (DBCH) has confirmed this week’s COVID-19 allocation from New York State and has opened new appointment slots for eligible individuals in Phase 1a and 1b as determined by New York State’s Phased Distribution Plan. Dutchess County is scheduled to receive 600 doses of Moderna vaccine and therefore be able to host 600 appointments this week, well below the County’s distribution capacity.
Vaccine supply remains very limited from the state and federal government and supply allocations are not guaranteed. All appointments should be considered tentative and are subject to cancellation if Dutchess County does not receive expected allocation.
DBCH will operate Points of Dispensing (PODs) Vaccination Centers, by appointment only, at the following locations this week:
Thursday, January 21st
10 am to 4pm
Former JCPenney store
Poughkeepsie Galleria
2001 South Road, Poughkeepsie
JCPenney Appointment Registration Link
Saturday, January 23rd
10am to 4pm
Dover Middle/High School
2368 Route 22, Dover Plains
Dover Appointment Registration Link
Registered individuals should be prepared to show identification (i.e. driver’s license, pay stub, work ID) to verify eligibility for Phase 1a and 1b classification. Scheduling for second dose appointments will occur at the vaccination site as vaccine requires two doses for effectiveness.
County Executive Molinaro said, “Vaccine availability remains extremely limited. Although we have the capacity to vaccinate thousands of residents each week, we can only vaccinate as many people as we receive vaccine doses for. We will continue to push for more vaccine, but in the meantime, we are dispensing every dose we get to eligible residents quickly and efficiently at our POD vaccination centers.”
Dutchess County’s POD Vaccination Centers are in addition to current locations, including local hospitals, that are dispensing vaccine to eligible priority groups as vaccine supply is available. New York State has established state-operated sites across the state – residents can utilize the State’s online Am I Eligible? tool to determine if they are currently eligible for vaccinations and, if eligible, will see a list of those state-operated locations where appointments may be available. Additionally, New York State has begun limited distribution of vaccine to various pharmacy locations throughout the state.
Please note, appointments CANNOT be made by calling Dutchess County’s Coronavirus Information Call Center or the Department of Behavioral & Community Health as appointments must currently be made 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 for 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.
Dutchess County received and dispensed 700 doses of the Moderna vaccine at three POD locations last week. DBCH staff and Dutchess County Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) volunteers provided a smooth process for the scheduled appointments and received positive feedback from those vaccinated:
“My parents got vaccinated today, and said all the staff were very informative, and extremely helpful. Thank you very much!!”
“Great job to all involved. Everyone we met was so helpful, kind, and positive. Thank you”
“Very organized, excellent staff! Many thanks”
County Executive Molinaro said, “Our POD vaccination sites ran smoothly and efficiently thanks to our dedicated public health staff and our amazing MRC volunteers. We are ready and eager to ramp up our distribution and will continue to push to receive more vaccine so we can get as many shots in arms of our residents as quickly as possible. Please continue to stay safe and remain patient as we work to get more vaccine.”
All residents are reminded to continue with coronavirus safety measures – wearing a face mask, frequent hand washing and physical distancing – to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Residents can register to receive email notification when new vaccination appointments are open for scheduling at the County’s COVID-19 vaccine information webpage: www.dutchessny.gov/
