Putnam Coronavirus: Active Cases Drop Sharply

PUTNAM COUNTY, NY — The number of active cases dropped sharply last week, according to Putnam's health department coronavirus dashboard.

County health officials were monitoring 239 cases as of Feb. 4, down from 394 the last week in January.

Putnam County has a positivity rate that's below average for the seven-county Hudson region, which has the second-highest positivity rate in the state at 5.43 percent, as of Tuesday.

Doses of coronavirus vaccine are now being sent by the federal government to New York state at the rate of about 300,000 a week. There are 11 million eligible residents, so it will take months to vaccinate everyone, state and local officials warn.

As of Tuesday, New York has administered 2.5 million doses of vaccine, so about 10 percent of New Yorkers have received a first dose.

As each week's dosages come in, state health officials send allotments to regions in an effort to ensure equitable distribution.

"We are eager to vaccinate our community and thank you for your patience as the rollout continues," Putnam health officials said on the website.

Once the vaccine is more widely available, they promised to share public information with local newspapers and online news sites, post on the website and share on social media. This will be updated as more information becomes available, they said.

Meanwhile, county health departments are tasked with vaccinating essential workers. A complete list of that category can be found here. They will have flexibility starting next week to determine if people with comorbidities will be vaccinated through their clinics.

When a Putnam County clinic (called a POD, for Point of Distribution) is scheduled, the link will be sent directly to specific organizations or shared on the county's website and social media as appropriate.

Remember, the allotment changes from week to week as the state has no stockpile of dosages but depends on what the federal government sends. Putnam will be scheduling POD clinics less than 1 week in advance.

The best place to stay up to date with vaccine announcements is the health department's website.

If you are one of the 11 million eligible residents, but not an essential worker eligible to be vaccinated through your local health department, you may make an appointment at one of the state's mass vaccination sites. They receive allotments weekly, so also have varying, limited appointments available each week. To check for appointments at a state vaccination site, go through the state's website.

When more vaccine doses become available, the state's retail network of pharmacies will become fully activated for people seeking appointments.

The health department adds:

If you live in Putnam and work in another county in one of the categories able to be vaccinated by local health departments, please have your union representative reach out to the health department at COVID19@putnamcountyny.com.

If you work in Putnam in one of the categories able to be vaccinated by local health departments and your employer has not received any registration links for a POD, please have your employer reach out to us at COVID19@putnamcountyny.gov.