Walk-Ins Welcome At Friday Coronavirus Vaccine Clinic In Rockland

NEW CITY, NY — The Rockland County Department of Health announces 1st dose appointments are available for the Moderna coronavirus vaccine on Friday.

The vaccination clinic will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Martin Luther King Center, 110 Bethune Blvd. in Spring Valley.

Walk-ins are welcome and will be registered onsite. Or, if you are 18 and older and live, work or attend school in New York State, visit the county's COVID-19 webpage to schedule your appointment.

"We are proud to partner with the Spring Valley NAACP and the Martin Luther King Center to increase access to COVID-19 vaccines and meet residents where they are," said County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert. "We encourage residents to roll up their sleeves and get vaccinated to protect themselves, their friends, family, and the community."

In two of the communities hardest-hit by the coronavirus, where 13 percent of the population was reported coronavirus-positive, very few people are getting vaccinated.

In the Spring Valley zip code, only 13.77 percent of residents have received a first dose of vaccine, according to the county's coronavirus dashboard. The rate is even lower in neighboring Monsey, where only 9.28 percent of residents have received a first dose.

Contrast that to Haverstraw, where 19 percent of the population has been reported as coronavirus-positive since the outbreak began. There, 27 percent of the population has received at least one dose of vaccine.

Rockland County's overall vaccination rate is 40.5 percent.

If you do not have access to a computer and need assistance in scheduling your COVID-19 vaccine appointment, eligible residents can call the Rockland County COVID Call Center at 845-238-1956 from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm Monday – Friday (except holidays).

The current recommendation is to get your second dose at the same place where you got your first shot. You will be given an appointment for your second dose when you receive your first dose. The Moderna vaccine requires you to get a second dose 28 days/4 weeks after your first dose. If it is not possible for you to return on the date you are given due to conflicts or illness, call the Rockland County COVID Call Center at 845-238-1956 to reschedule your appointment.

Individuals being vaccinated must provide proof of eligibility. Check the NYS vaccine instructions for acceptable forms of proof of eligibility. If you have health insurance, please bring your benefit card with you. The vaccine is free; however, the health department can collect an administrative fee from insurance plans. Please note that this immunization requires two doses given 28 days apart.

"The Moderna vaccine uses MRNA technology which continues to prove to be safe and effective. This vaccine is an important public health tool to help stop the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 vaccination helps protect people from getting sick or severely ill with COVID-19 and may also help those around you," Ruppert said.

If you are a Rockland County resident aged 60+ and need assistance making a COVID-19 vaccine appointment please call the Rockland County Office for the Aging at 845-364-2110, Monday through Friday (except holidays), 8 a.m. - 5 p.m. Spanish and Creole speakers are available. In addition, residents can sign up online.

If you represent a non-profit agency, municipality, or faith-based organization and would like more information on scheduling a presentation on the importance of vaccination or hosting a pop-up vaccination site, please email the Rockland County COVID Call Center at COVIDCallCenter@co.rockland.ny.us or call 845-238-1956.

"We understand that many people are fatigued from the last 14 months fighting this pandemic and we share that feeling but the threat of this disease remains," said Rockland County Executive Ed Day." If we stay the course by being smart, following common-sense hygiene practices and getting vaccinated we will get to the 'COVID free' finish line together."