Nearly 500 people were vaccinated Monday in Plattsburgh, and New York state officials are hoping to keep that pace throughout week one of the rollout. They eventually want to ramp up the number of daily doses but that’s dependent on how much of the vaccine is received from the federal government.
“It’s no longer a conversation about it happening, it is actually happening,” said Plattsburgh Town Supervisor Michael Cashman.
Monday will go down in the books as a step forward in the North Country’s fight against COVID-19 as a massive vaccination site is up and running at 213 Connecticut Road in Plattsburgh, on the edge of the airport’s flight line.
“It’s going fantastic,” said Ron Epstein, incident commander from NYS. “We’ve got a great crew here with a number of state agencies. Everyone’s pitched in to make sure we have what we need.”
He says once you pull on site, you’ll answer a few screening questions to confirm your eligibility and appointment. Those 65 and older are up first. Once inside, you’ll receive the first dose and wait 15 minutes to ensure there’s no negative reaction. Then, you get a card to book the second dose and you’re all set.
Officials continue to urge patience in scheduling your appointment, as right now, doses are hard to come by.
“If you can’t get an appointment immediately, refresh, refresh, refresh,” Cashman said. “This is a need from corner to corner of not only our state, but every community”
Cashman adds– it’s helpful to wear a shirt where the sleeve can easily be rolled up for your shot. The site is open 7 days a week from 7am to 7pm, as long as it takes to eliminate the virus.
“We will be here until we are no longer needed,” Epstein said. “Our goal is to be the 1st COVID free state in the nation and we will help do that in the North Country.”
