Believe it or not it is getting easier to receive a vaccine here in Rockland; nearly 23 percent of our population has received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. That equates to 73,783 people who have gotten a shot in their arms to protect themselves, their families, and our community from this disease.

And with New York State finally removing some of the internal hurdles they set up we are now able to give doses to ANY eligible individuals. Prior to this week we were extremely limited in who we could give shots to due to NYS mandates. I am incredibly pleased that the State has finally seen the error of their ways and agreed to let local health departments vaccinate those who we know need it most.

We have heard of additional doses also being supplied to pharmacies by the Federal government though we don’t know how many or to which locations. Still, every vaccine coming here to Rockland is a great step in the right direction. Our recent allocations are vastly improved over the numbers we were seeing in the early weeks and we are making hard fought progress.

Our Health Department is working with community groups and municipalities to host vaccine clinics around Rockland in the areas which need it most. We were in Spring Valley last week and you can expect to see them in Haverstraw soon. You can check on our local vaccination progress by visiting the newest map created by our Planning Department here:

https://www.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/d074e0336e81449393a76d1768ceb096

The map shows a breakdown of zip codes and the percent of their population which has received a vaccine. Some areas are doing very well, others not as well. The professionals in our Health Department will continue to focus their efforts on the areas lagging behind because this disease affects everyone regardless of gender, race or religion and the only way to fully protect our community is to get everyone vaccinated.

In addition to our Health Department’s outreach efforts to areas that have been underserved by the vaccination process so far, we have now streamlined the sign-up process on our COVID-19 website to make it easier for residents to get appointments to be vaccinated at our clinic in Pomona: http://rocklandgov.com/departments/health/coronavirus-covid-19/

We appreciate hearing from so many of you who have been recently vaccinated and encourage you to tell your friends, families and neighbors to get the shot when it is their turn. In the meantime, if you still need help obtaining a vaccination, we in County government are here to help.

Rockland residents age 60+ can sign up for the Senior COVID-19 Vaccine Waitlist by calling the Rockland County Office for the Aging at 845-364-2110, Monday through Friday (except holidays), 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. Spanish and Creole speakers are available. In addition, residents can sign up online at http://rcklnd.us/c19-waitlist.

Anyone else with questions can call the Rockland County COVID-19 Call Center at 845-238-1956 Monday-Friday (except holidays) from 8:00 am – 5:00 pm or email COVIDCallCenter@co.rockland.ny.us

We truly are making progress and we will get through this process by working together, supporting each other and by acting as true neighbors and looking out for those who are the most at-risk.