HV Coronavirus: Help For Finding Vaccine Appointments

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — With more coronavirus vaccine doses making their way into New York State, there are more ways to navigate the system and score a coveted appointment.

You still have to fit the state's eligibility requirements. At this point, about 10 million New Yorkers are eligible including medical workers, nursing home residents, police, firefighters and teachers, essential workers, people age 65 and older and people with comorbidities.

Twelve weeks in, almost half of those groups have received at least one dose.

With the federal government now overseeing a massive national effort to ramp up production, the number of vaccine doses arriving in New York every week keeps rising.

As more vaccine doses make their way into mass vaccination sites, local health departments, pharmacies and clinics, there are a number of ways to schedule an appointment. The trick is finding who has gotten a supply of vaccines — which are limited — and nipping in to make an appointment.

• Mass vaccination sites. There are two in the Hudson region. The one at the Westchester County Center is open to anyone who's eligible. The one at the armory in Yonkers is open only to Westchester residents. There's a new site open to everyone 24-7 at Yankee Stadium, just off the New York State Thruway in the Bronx. There's a site open to everyone at the Javits Center in Manhattan.
• County health departments, which have been vaccinating essential workers and people who live in group homes, are now allowed to vaccinate residents age 65 and older.
• Pharmacies, hospitals, clinics. They receive limited supplies weekly. Many have created waiting lists so you only have to sign up once.

A new tool to help people seeking vaccinations has just been created by the regional coordinator for the Hudson region in the state's coronavirus vaccination program.

WMCHealth has created an online interactive directory showing where vaccine doses are being sent. The Hudson Valley COVID-19 Vaccine Directory provides both real-time information about where recent vaccine supply has been distributed and details for making appointments.

The map allows you to search by location type, such as pharmacy or health clinic, location name and county.

Just clicking on a location serves up detailed information about the location, who might be eligible to receive a vaccine at that location, and how to register for an appointment.

Each location controls its own schedule and makes its own appointments.

"As the lead and coordinator for the Hudson Valley Region Hub of New York State’s Regional Vaccine Network, WMCHealth is overseeing vaccine management in the region," Michael D. Israel, President and CEO of WMCHealth said in an announcement about the directory. "We want to ensure that our residents have access to the information they need and access to vaccine as it is made available to ensure the most equitable distribution."

Caveat: The directory does not represent the actual inventory of each location, only that a location has received a recent distribution, or a distribution sometime in the past.

It shows weekly vaccine distribution from New York State on an interactive map and lists locations that have recently received vaccine supply.

It also includes information about those locations that have received vaccine supply in the past, giving Hudson Valley residents an accurate picture of both vaccine availability and past distribution.

"It’s transparency at its best," said Josh Ratner, Executive Vice President and Chief Strategy Officer for WMCHealth and Hub lead.

The map is available as part of the WMCHealth website that includes a wide variety of information about vaccine eligibility, safety and efficacy, as well as COVID care and treatments.

The site got off to a rocky start, but technical issues were resolved.

About the Hudson Valley Region Hub

WMCHealth is serving as the coordinator for the Hudson Valley Region Hub of New York State’s Regional Vaccine Network. WMCHealth is collaborating with a broad group of hospitals, healthcare organizations and agencies, community organizations and many other stakeholders in developing plans to ensure the safe, equitable and efficient distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine across Westchester, Rockland, Orange, Putnam, Dutchess, Ulster and Sullivan counties.