Vaccination rate grows in New York's Mid-Hudson Valley; appointments are widely available

Vaccination numbers are up and test positivity rates for COVID-19 are starting to fall across New York and locally, but we’re not out of the woods yet.  

As of Friday, Orange and Ulster counties each reported more than 1,000 active cases of COVID-19, and more than 90 people were hospitalized with the virus in Orange, 21 of them on ventilators, according to county websites and Orange County Executive Steve Neuhaus’ Friday video message. 

Even so, the struggles of March to secure scarce vaccine appointments have given way in the Mid Hudson to county officials and medical offices touting the availability of walk-in appointments for the jabs.  

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Still, Orange County has used all of the vaccine doses allotted to it, said county Health Commissioner Dr. Irina Gelman. The county has administered doses to homebound residents in addition to thousands of people at sites in Goshen, Newburgh, Montgomery, Middletown, Woodbury and Port Jervis.

To reach those who’d delayed vaccination or who are on the fence, Orange is reaching out via mail, email, social media, and through partnerships with medical providers to encourage vaccination. That includes using the county health department’s community outreach and health equity workers to go out to areas where COVID has hit disproportionately hard, to make sure people there have access to vaccines. 

In Ulster County, officials are taking the vaccine to the people. 

“We’re really starting to do a number of pop-up vaccination sites,” said Dan Torres, spokesman for Ulster County Executive Pat Ryan. 

The county did a pop-up clinic in New Paltz on Monday. Rosendale was slated for Tuesday, the Town of Rochester on Wednesday, and Gardiner for Thursday. Torres said the county has worked with local churches and religious leaders to get congregations vaccinated, especially among marginalized populations. Ulster County’s efforts have led to more than 50% of the total population getting vaccinated.  

Sullivan County, too, has set up community vaccination sites; the next is planned for Thursday in South Fallsburg. Public Health Director Nancy McGraw said they haven't so much seen reluctance to vaccinate as much as "people have questions about the J&J vaccine, which we intend to educate and provide additional materials now that it has been approved to resume."

The county is still seeing good numbers of vaccinations but may be starting to see some saturations, McGraw said.

"We’re beginning to go out to towns, and we vaccinated 175 people in White Lake last week," she said. "We anticipate a similar number of people in Fallsburg this week, or more.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has said that demand for vaccine remains steady at the state’s vaccination sites, according to the USA TODAY Network, but April polling from Axios-Ipsos showed about 20% of people said they were not at all likely to get a COVID-19 vaccine.  

With cases down, it’s tempting for people to become complacent. 

“That is a concern, and people should not lower their guard, especially if they are not fully vaccinated,” Gelman said. “Get vaccinated. Even if you have had COVID-19 in the past, get vaccinated. Keep washing your hands and following CDC guidance on masks and social distancing.” 

hyakin@th-record.com