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UPDATE: All available appointments for this clinic had been filled early Saturday morning.
ALBANY – Albany County is announcing open appointments at a COVID-19 vaccination clinic scheduled for Saturday at the Times Union Center in Albany.
The county launched a registration link for the clinic designed to serve people aged 65 or older at 5 p.m. Thursday. But as of the end of Friday morning, more than 1,300 slots were still available – a sign that seniors may still have difficulty navigating online planning systems or that supply is finally catching up with demand.
“Usually when we put a POD link it fills up in about five to ten minutes,” County Health Commissioner Dr Elizabeth Whalen said on Friday. “We put this link yesterday and we still have a lot of places. So we hope that they will be filled and we hope that if we still have capacity, we will be allowed to expand the scope of this clinic because we know the mission the most important thing is to be able to get the vaccine out and we are ready and prepared to do so. “
The county texted people who had pre-registered for vaccines on Friday afternoon to alert them to the availability of slots at the clinic on Saturday. By 6 p.m., the number of slots had dropped to 500. On Friday evening, county spokeswoman Mary Rozak said the county had also received approval to expand eligibility to the clinic to those who are eligible for the clinic. suffered from certain health problems.
“We’ve had a few openings and the goal is to get shots, so we got permission to make that change,” she said.
The county had previously only been allowed to vaccinate essential workers and then, more recently, people with underlying health conditions. Last Friday, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo announced that would change, with county health departments soon able to vaccinate the over-65 crowd.
Albany County officials on Friday urged members of the public to help friends and relatives sign up for vaccine appointments if they can.
“If you know someone who hasn’t been vaccinated yet, get them registered,” Albany County Legislature Speaker Andrew Joyce said. “Do what you can to get them registered, put them in the right place to register, get them vaccinated.”
Information on how to register for the Saturday clinic is available on the county website. Volunteers will administer the first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine at the clinic, and only those who can return for a second dose on Saturday, March 27 are encouraged to register. People will need to bring ID to verify their age.
The clinic will run from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Times Union Center, located at 51 S. Pearl St. Free parking is available at the Times Union Center parking lot at 9 Wendell Street or the LAZ Pearl Street Parking Garage. at 59 Beaver Street. Those who drop someone off are asked to drop them off at the main entrance of the Times Union Center.
Coronavirus Updates
Albany County confirmed on Friday that another resident had died from complications from COVID-19.
County director Dan McCoy said the victim was an 80-year-old man. It is now known that 359 residents of the county have died from the disease.
The county also confirmed 91 new cases of the coronavirus overnight, bringing its seven-day moving average to 64.
Coronavirus Resources
Detailed map: Find out about Times Union’s New York Coronavirus Case Tracker.
Test: Local testing sites for COVID-19. Coronavirus test results for each New York county.
Vaccinations: Follow the vaccine rollout in New York. Plus, get answers to common questions and submit yours here.
Lives lost: Share the memory of a Capital Region resident who died from COVID-19.
Daily Email: Sign up for the free coronavirus updates newsletter.
Seven other residents were hospitalized with the virus overnight and net hospitalizations increased by five overnight to 40.
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