The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
SEEKING MORE VACCINES
Oneida County executive demands more doses
ROME, N.Y. » Getting vaccines to Oneida County residents that need them is a priority, and the current system at hand is just not cutting it, said Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente outside the county’s Griffiss Airport POD (point of distribution) on Friday.
Both this POD and the county’s other one at Mohawk Valley Community College (MVCC) are currently closed; there’s just no more vaccine to give, officials have announced.
Expressing his frustration, Picente stood outside of the closed vaccine site and urged Gov. Andrew Cuomo to give Oneida County government a more adequate vaccine supply.
“This site is ideal for seniors. It’s ideal for the elderly. It’s ideal for the disabled. They drive right into this building, get their shot, go around to the other building, wait the 15 minutes, and then be on their way without any problems,” Picente stated.
He said the fact that having an ideal site like this, ready and waiting to be used, and not even 200 doses can be given a day is “outrageous. It’s an embarrassment.”
“This is about getting shots in people’s arms, [to] the people that need it.” — Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente
The state-run site at SUNY Poly and others like it across New York opened up earlier this week, with vaccine slots filling just as quickly as other distribution sites. State officials have said that available appointments have been “incredibly conservative” due to known supply constraints from the federal government.
“We, as the Governor said, took the approach of get it up and running and then we know we can scale up very quickly in case we get an influx from the feds,” said Secretary to the Governor Melissa Derosa earlier this week.
Having more PODS for vaccines isn’t a bad thing, Picente said, but when the county is more than capable at meeting the needs of its residents first, Picente said one has to ask, why are there state sites at all?
He wouldn’t take issue with it, if it weren’t for the state sites taking away from county supply, Picente said.
Each shipment to Oneida County from the state, three so far, has decreased in vaccine allotment each time, with no apparent rhyme or reason, Picente said. Oneida County is given doses on a “per capita basis,” according to Picente, but he said he doesn’t see how that’s true. The county initially requested 10,000 doses three weeks ago, but received 3,000. The next week, 1,300. This week—500.
The county executive said 500 is what the county can vaccinate in just one day between Griffiss (140 on average) and MVCC (360 on average).
This simply is not enough supply, Picente said.
Cuomo issued in a statement Friday that vaccine allotments for essential workers (about 27%) go to city and county health departments, who are to prioritize vaccinating this part of the population. About 21% of vaccine allocation goes towards healthcare workers, which is directed to hospitals. Lastly, those 65 and older (52%) are directed to get their vaccines at retail establishments, pharmacies, and mass sites, who get an allotment to meet that percentage.
“It’s important that the provider follows the prioritization because otherwise, they’re giving that group’s allocation to someone else, and I’ve said this repeatedly, but I understand the stress level and the anxiety level,” the governor stated. “At least we have to be able to say we are fair.
“If you give the police dosage to sixty-five plus, then the police don’t get it. If you give the sixty-five dosage to hospital workers then the sixtyfive-year-olds don’t get it. So please follow the department of health prioritization. Otherwise, you’re robbing Peter to pay Paul. That’s all you’re doing.”
Picente alleged that SUNY Poly has thousands more doses than the county, and people are traveling from all over the state to get their shots at this site, leaving local Oneida County residents struggling to meet their needs.
“Where’s our priority for our residents?,” Picente asked.
In particular, it’s the residents over 65 the county executive is worried about. The competitive vaccine market often leaves them underserved, he said, and traveling long distances is often out of the question.
“This is going to be the coldest weekend of the year, and [Griffiss] would have been an ideal spot, and continues to be an ideal spot, to give those seniors that vaccine so they don’t have to walk in the snow, in the freezing cold,” Picente argued. “[This POD] exhibits the best way to deal with the over 65 population that needs this vaccine more than anybody right now—” and it’s closed, he emphasized.
In response to Picente’s demands from the state, the governor’s Spokesperson Jack Sterne forwarded the Dispatch the following statement:
“The county executive clearly hasn’t been paying attention, so we’ll repeat the rules for him again: counties are only responsible for vaccinating essential workers, while pharmacies, health clinics, doctors’ offices, and state sites should be vaccinating seniors.
“Let’s cut the politics – the only way we can distribute vaccines equitably given the lackluster federal supply is by following these simple rules. County Executive Picente should know better, and if he’s been misinforming his constituents, all of this confusion falls squarely on his shoulders.”
The county was recently targeted by the governor for its high positivity rate over the past few months, Picente pointed out, making it all the more important that vaccines get distributed, he said.
On Friday, the county announced its deadliest day from COVID, with nine new deaths related to the virus.
“It is deeply troubling that nine more of our families have to suffer such tragic loss at the hands of this pandemic. Our thoughts and prayers are with them as we continue to fight COVID-19 on all fronts. This deadly reminder is further evidence of how desperately needed the vaccine is. Oneida County needs more. The lives of our people depend on it,” Picente stated.
Picente said the state essentially told him, “it is what it is,” earlier this week in regards to the 500 dose allotment. That’s not a good enough answer, he stated, adding that the system is terribly flawed, not to mention scheduling conflicts on the state’s website that have also occurred, he mentioned.
Additionally, Picente said Oneida County was never made aware that New York was going to have its own sites upstate, and particularly one in Oneida County, until just before they opened. The county had been previously planning otherwise, he said.
State PODS operating downstate in denser metropolitan areas made sense, Picente remarked, but opening them upstate didn’t seem to have a justified reason when the supply was already so low, he added.
If given the means to do so, the county is prepared to open 40 PODS across the county, Picente said. “There are many smaller communities that we can reach into,” he remarked.
The county has the capacity to vaccine several thousand a week, Picente said, but given the current supply constraint, he said he’d settle for just 500 a day, or between 3,500-4,000 a week from the state. Anything the county could get their hands on, really, he remarked.
Vaccination is what county governments do, and they desperately want to do it, Picente said. He emphasized that local health departments have established plans, have trained, and have practiced drills to get vaccines out the door and into people’s arms.
Picente voiced his total confidence that Oneida County’s PODS could function more effectively than the state’s for these reasons, adding that resident feedback thus far has been positive for county sites.
Additionally, local governments are from the areas they serve, allowing them to know their community and environment best, he added.
“[The state] took away what we were doing, for what?,” Picente asked. “We set up PODS. We hired people.
We mobilized our staff. We operated [the PODS], flawlessly.”
This isn’t about politics, the county executive stated. It’s about the county executive’s duty to protect the health of Oneida County residents, he said.
“This is about getting shots in people’s arms, [to] the people that need it.”
Awaiting more vaccine, the soonest the county PODS could open is next week, Picente said.
Follow Oneida County Government on Facebook and on their website, www. ocgov.net, for updates. Elderly residents are encouraged to call the Office for the Aging at (315) 7985456 for assistance and vaccination information.
The state’s COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline is open 7 a.m. - 10 p.m., 7 days a week, and can be reached at 1-833-697-4829 Also, check in with local pharmacies, health clinics, and doctors offices, particularly if you are age 65 or older to inquire about scheduling a vaccination.