The Westchester County Center in White Plains opened this morning as a state Covid-19 vaccination site along with the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan and the New York State Fair Expo Center in Syracuse.
A state site at Jones Beach is scheduled to open tomorrow and one at SUNY Albany opens on Friday. By 10:30 a.m., about 250 people had received their first doses of the Pfizer vaccine at the County Center.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said yesterday that 15 additional sites would be announced shortly. He also said that more than 1,200 pharmacies have committed to participate in the network of vaccination sites that will include doctors’ offices, health centers and other outlets. He also announced that the age limit of 75 and up that until now qualified people to be vaccinated has been lowered to 65.
Cuomo said that the federal government has been sending only 300,000 vaccine doses a week to New York state and that the number of people eligible to be vaccinated far exceeds the supply and the disparity is expected to remain for some time to come.
“Our greatest hindrance continues to be federal inaction,” Cuomo said. “We have come too far to be held back in our efforts by the inadequate vaccine supply from the federal government.”
While the Covid-19 pandemic was ravaging much of the U.S., and deaths and case numbers were building in Westchester and throughout New York state, United Hebrew of New Rochelle, working with its pharmacy partner Pharmscript, on Jan. 8 administered the first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine to its nursing home residents, short-term rehabilitation patients and staff. By Jan. 12 it had given 360 initial vaccinations, with second doses due 28 days after the first.
New Rochelle, where United Hebrew is located, was one of the first places in the U.S. where the virus took hold last March. There were more than 22.8 million cases and more than 379,000 deaths from Covid-19 in the U.S. as of Jan. 12. United Hebrew reports caring for hundreds of Covid-19 patients since the beginning of the outbreak. The level of immunity that develops from exposure to the Covid-19 virus still is under study.
The New York State Department of Health reported that from March 1, 2020, through Jan. 11, 2021, 36 nursing home facilities in Westchester experienced a total of 281 Covid-19 deaths with another 230 presumed deaths due to the virus occurring during that same period.
The Health Department reported that there were five confirmed and six presumed deaths from Covid-19 at United Hebrew. As of Jan. 11, there were a total of 1,897 Covid-19 deaths in Westchester with 1,744 of those who died being Westchester residents, according to the DOH. The total number of deaths in New York state was put at 32,007. DOH said that 68.8% of the fatalities involved people over age 70.
Rita Mabli, United Hebrew’s president and CEO, said the arrival of the vaccine provides tremendous relief and brings hope that there are brighter days ahead.
“This is a momentous occasion for us,” she said. “We are deeply grateful for all who worked so hard to get the vaccine to us. Needless to say, it”™s been a challenging year for our staff, residents, and their loved ones. This vaccine will go a long way toward protecting them and their caregivers, who are still working so tirelessly to keep them well. Our campus will be one of the safest places to be.”
United Hebrew serves more than 1,000 residents and clients daily on its 7.5-acre campus.
Among those vaccinated was Mary Mignona, a 104-year-old United Hebrew resident who lived through both the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. She escaped becoming ill from the Spanish Flu but did test positive for Covid-19 last fall.
“It”™s amazing to be a two-time pandemic survivor,” said Mignona. “I”™m very happy to be vaccinated. Now I”™m looking forward to seeing my family in-person.”
Her daughter, Christina D”™Angelo, said, “Because of Covid, we”™ve only been able to see each other virtually or through a window at the nursing home since last March.” D’Angelo explained that her mother has a significant hearing loss, adding to the difficulties of interacting during Covid.
Great that the vaccine can be had locally – but the real story is that the technology being used to schedule appointments is so outdated and hard to use that it is almost impossible to get in line. And for seniors – real seniors who are not tech savvy, this is impossible – so for people like my mom and dad, 91 and 94 and living independently, they have the greatest need and NO CHANCE to get an appointment.
The Westchester County Center appointment page shows every date between now and April 16 as being full. And rather than taking days off the site that have no availability, you have to page through 10 minutes of days to see that none are available. The site should remove fully booked days and then, if an appointment is cancelled and one opens up, show that date – rather than have 90 days with no availability showing. And how about extending the schedule past April 15 at this point as well?
Nothing about this process is working. So those with connections will get a priority spot, and the rest of us just get frustrated. I want to get my shot – I am over 65 and eligible – but cannot get an appointment anywhere.
This is the story – not the picture of an empty County Center. That government is doing a terrible job of making this work. Private enterprise would certainly manage this better – the tech alone is such a difficulty that it stops just about anything else. Make some noise and get some help, please.
Same all over. I called New Rochelle for advice on making a reservation at around noon today and are still waiting for a response. The aid said she would forward me the info right away. So much for Gov.t control of process. The Governor does a good job of talking and blaming everyone else. Why no pre planning ????
PS Just got the link….5:11 PM. At least I got it. Thanks N.R. Health….
We need to give the process some time.
Regarding Green Uber: The rides should cost less. The vehicle shown must be the least expensive EV with lower fuel and operating costs than a fossil vehicle not to mention federal subsidies and incentives.