More Vaccine Received, Much More Needed: Rockland County Exec
ROCKLAND COUNTY, NY — Rockland County Executive Ed Day said trying to get a coronavirus vaccine appointment in New York is like trying to buy concert tickets.
"That's not a compliment," he said Thursday on Facebook in a live video now posted on YouTube.
"This is not going to be a gripe session about the governor," Day said before launching into a comprehensive condemnation of New York's rollout of the coronavirus vaccine, now in its sixth week.
Day said he understood that the federal government is shipping a limited number of vaccine doses to the state every week. "I agree wholeheartedly the federal government needs to step up its game and get more vaccine delivered here," he said.
However, he said he believes New York officials are not parceling out the vaccine fairly. "I am fed up with Rockland County being the red-headed stepchild," he said.
The state health department allots vaccine doses weekly to 10 regions, proportionate to population, officials have said.
According to the state's vaccine tracker, the Hudson region, with a population of 2.3 million, has received the third-largest number of vaccine doses since the rollout began, less than Long Island, which has a population of 2.8 million, and New York City, with a population of 8.4 million.
The Hudson region had received 111,925 doses as of Thursday. Long Island received 144,750 doses in the same period. New York City received 546,775. That does not count doses or vaccinations of nursing home residents and staff, which is allotted and administered through a separate federal program.
But because Rockland's death rate has been so high during the pandemic (second only to the Bronx), Day said the county should get more than the 3,300 doses it has received so far, counting 2,100 doses yesterday. "The governor gave too much to NYC," he said.
He also criticized the state's efforts so far to help people get vaccinated, saying it's difficult to navigate the state "Am I Eligible" website, much less book appointments. As for the hotline, it "frankly is a joke," he said.
Day urged residents to keep pressure on the state and call the governor's office at 518-474-8390. "Keep demanding Rockland gets our fair share of vaccine."
If you can get an appointment outside Rockland, like at the Westchester County Center or Bronx Lebanon Hospital, do it, he said.
Meanwhile, he said he knows everyone is feeling anxious. If the federal government continues to supply vaccine to New York at the current rate, it will take seven months to vaccinate all the people who are eligible now, much less adults under age 65.
"There is no question, this is the fight of our life," he said. "Patience is helpful right now."
Meanwhile the county is doing all it can, and it's frustrating that the trained staff at the health department cannot do vaccinations.
"If this was well-designed, people would be able to go on the website, make an appointment, fill out a form, go get a shot. This is just not right," he said.
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This article originally appeared on the New City Patch
