Vaccinations Vexation
Frustration and worry. These are emotions we are all likely feeling right now. Frustration that vaccination appointments aren’t available and worry that our loved ones who are most at risk won’t be able to get the vaccine in time to protect themselves.
COVID case numbers are rising here in Rockland, all around New York State and across our country. That’s enough all on it’s own to cause a fair bit of stress. Adding on the often fruitless search for a vaccination appointment and we are all nearing the breaking point.
Two weeks ago, the Rockland County Department of Health received it’s initial supply of vaccine – 1,000 doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine. Three days later they had administered every dose. Seeing how quickly and efficiently we were vaccinating eligible individuals we requested 2,000 doses for this week, feeling confident that we could vaccinate 400 people a day at our clinic at the Health Department in Pomona.
Unfortunately, New York saw fit to send us, not the 2,000 doses we requested but a mere 200. A number that was revealed only when the refrigerated box containing the vaccine arrived at our Health Department. That’s right, we knew a shipment was coming, but no one at New York State could tell us how much we were going to receive. That made it nearly impossible to effectively plan or schedule ahead. But we still got it done.
Our Health Department opened up the appointment system once we knew that we had ONLY 200 vaccines and those appointments were booked within 15 minutes. And due to the ever increasing number of those who are eligible, 7 million in New York State alone, there will be high demand for this very limited vaccine for a long time.
I truly wish I had better news to share with you in the message but the one bit of sunlight I can share is this. The Rockland County Department of Health is battle tested and stands ready to administer as much vaccine as New York State can send us. We have the experience of our measles outbreak to draw upon along with the expertise of multiple retired military personnel in oversight positions and my own 20-plus year law enforcement career culminating as a police chief.
At our current site in Pomona, our front-line clinical staff could administer up to 400 doses per day. And we have the plans, agreements and staff prepared to expand our hours of operation and open a large-scale vaccination site or multiple smaller sites here in Rockland. But we first need the vaccine. Something that NYS seems incapable of effectively distributing.
We know how to do this effectively. It is long past time that New York State hand this job over to those who have trained year in and year out for it, the counties and local health departments. Continued attempts at micro-management by Albany will only lead to further delays and further vaccination vexation.
