New Yorkers set to drive six hours to get Nab Covid-19 vaccine

She said she spent hours looking for a place at locally run facilities near her in Westchester County, but was unsuccessful. She then turned to a state-run web portal that allows any eligible New York state resident to book appointments at 13 state-run mass distribution centers.

The Jacob. K. Javits Convention Center, a state hub in Manhattan, was his first choice, but the only slots available were in Potsdam, St. Lawrence County.

“The research was a futile exercise, so I’m going for a cool little getaway,” said Laverty, who decided she would work remotely from a vacation rental for a few days while she got the hang of it.

Other New York residents also said their vaccine appointments were a good excuse for a mini vacation. But most described the nomination process as offensive and expressed frustration that the state had not allocated more doses to more densely populated areas.

Local state officials have also complained that the state is diverting valuable doses of the vaccine to its own centers – where any New Yorker can sign up for an appointment – instead of piping them to pharmacies, clinics or county-run sites that serve area residents.

Peter Bartfeld, a 70-year-old lawyer, said he made an appointment at a hub in Plattsburgh, which he said is a six-hour drive from his home in Valley Stream on Long Island. He chose the location after two weeks without being able to secure a closer location.

“It’s absurd,” he said. “Obviously you have a bad distribution in the state. Why do people have to drive from Long Island to Plattsburgh? “

About seven million New Yorkers meet the state’s current eligibility criteria, which includes people 65 years of age or older, healthcare workers, residents and nursing home staff, and workers. essentials, including teachers. State officials said they are receiving around 250,000 doses of the vaccine per week.

About 600,000 people have made appointments at state immunization centers, Department of Health spokesman Gary Holmes said, and about 75% of them were made by New Yorkers. from the same region of the state. State officials did not respond to requests for demographic data on people who have been granted an appointment or been vaccinated.

Long Islanders can use the state hubs at Jones Beach and SUNY Stony Brook, and New York residents can use the city sites or state hubs at the Javits Center or Aqueduct Racecourse in Queens, each can immunize at least 1000 people per day. For most of the past week, the only appointment sites available were in Plattsburgh and Potsdam, which are in rural areas. Officials say the two sites can handle 500 appointments per day.

Governor Andrew Cuomo and health officials say vaccine doses are distributed across the state based on population, and some providers are tasked with focusing on certain groups: hospitals for health workers, managed sites by the county for essential workers, including teachers, and pharmacies for those 65 or older.

Nancy Bendiner, 73, made appointments for herself and her husband at a Utica state-run center after a county-run clinic near their home in Red Hook, New York, filled in nine minutes. Their dates are on consecutive days, so they will be spending the night in Utica, she said.

Linda Puiatti, a 65-year-old painter from Dutchess County, travels to Binghamton. “It’s a little sad that we do it this way. The person closest to the phone wins the prize, ”she said.

Melissa DeRosa, the governor’s main assistant, said state officials are ensuring parity between locals and outsiders. Mr Holmes said the state might consider rebalancing the allocation if there were persistent problems.

“Our goal is to receive gunfire as quickly and efficiently as possible – if New Yorkers in an area do not make all available appointments and someone is willing to travel to get the shot.” , this only reflects the woefully inadequate supply of vaccines we received from the Trump administration, ”he said.

Officials in the Biden administration said last week that they would increase the number of doses allocated to states, a move Mr. Cuomo welcomed.

Local leaders said their vaccine allocations declined when the centers opened. Anthony Picente, a Republican from Oneida County, a Republican whose county includes the center of the state just outside of Utica, said the allowance for a drive-thru distribution point put in place by the county had gone from 3,000 doses in the week of Jan. 5 to 500 doses for the week. from January 20. The state site opened on January 19.

Mr Holmes did not say how many doses of the vaccine are directed to national centers, but said county allocations have been cut because the distribution network and eligible population that local health services are focusing on had changed.

Debra Blalock, 68, said she was concerned about the state of the roads but still plans to travel to Potsdam from Dutchess County for a vaccine. She struggled with the ethics of getting a date in another part of the state, but said she felt comfortable doing so because people who lived closer had the same ability to register.

While dreading his trip north, Mr Bartfeld said he learned on Thursday that he was able to secure a last-minute appointment at the Queens National Center. The process was efficient and everyone was pleasant, he said.

“Once you get that date, it’s gold,” he says.

Write to Jimmy Vielkind at [email protected]