Rockland Receives Largest Vaccine Allocation to Date

Rockland is making some much-needed progress towards a fully vaccinated population. County Executive Ed Day announced Thursday afternoon that Rockland County providers received 6,920 doses of the Covid-19 vaccine this week. The Department of Health (DOH) is expecting a shipment of 2,920 vaccines as part of the week 12 allocation. This includes 1,700 moderna vaccines, 500 Johnson & Johnson vaccines, and 720 Pfizer vaccines.

Overall,16.3 percent of Rockland residents have received their first dose of the vaccine. Executive Day announced he’d  received his first dose of the moderna vaccine Thursday afternoon.

With new doses come new regulations on how the medicine is distributed. Previously, seniors were not able to receive the vaccine at the DOH. However, now they can. 1,720 doses are allocated for seniors and the Office for the Aging is setting up appointments. Seniors on the office’s waitlist are being called in the order they joined. Nearly 20 county departments and volunteers are assisting in this process through the activation of the Rockland County Emergency Operations Center.

“We have recently seen a little more flexibility from the State in terms of who we are able to vaccinate and I am pleased that we are once again able to get shots into the arms of seniors at our Health Department clinic,” said Day. “And now that we are seeing increasing doses of all three FDA approved COVID-19 vaccines allocated to Rockland providers we are starting to make real progress.”

Seniors aged 65+ can join the Office for the Aging waitlist by calling 845-364-2110, Monday through Friday (except holidays), 8:00 am through 5:00 pm., or they can sign up online at http://rcklnd.us/c19-waitlist.

Phase 1B essential workers and individuals with comorbidities can sign up for an appointment via weekly open public registration at https://rocklandgov.com/departments/health/coronavirus-covid-19/. The DOH announces each registration hours before on its website, social media, and press releases.

“I encourage everyone to get the shot when it is their turn as I believe these vaccines are safe and effective and I trust the advice of the public health professionals in the Department of Health,” said Day. “My message to you is this, we will continue to do everything in our power to get shots into the arms of Rockland residents, to share information about where vaccinations are available and raise awareness around the importance of getting vaccinated. For those still searching, please be patient. This process is improving, and we will get you vaccinated.”