Putnam County executive: No word on further vaccine deliveries after sites run out

The county has already vaccinated nearly 1,000 people but as of Friday, it ran out of doses and it doesn't know when it'll get more.

News 12 Staff

Jan 16, 2021, 9:45 PM

Updated 1,367 days ago

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Residents in Putnam County have joined the list of New Yorkers saying the vaccine rollout is too slow.
Putnam County has set up two vaccination sites for essential workers and seniors over 65 at the Philipstown Recreation Center and the Carmel Friendship Center.
The county has already vaccinated nearly 1,000 people but as of Friday, it ran out of doses and it doesn't know when it'll get more.
"It's difficult, it's challenging, it's frustrating…it's hard to tell your residents that you don't have the information that you should have," says Putnam County Executive Mary Ellen Odell.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo says he blames the federal government for making too many people eligible for the vaccine without supplying the state with enough doses.
"What we're hoping for is all the pharmaceutical companies that can produce this vaccine, they increase their production," Odell says.
Putnam County residents Debbie Conroy and her husband, who are both 65, say they have been trying to get vaccination appointments for the past week to no avail.
"They told us, my husband was with me, that they had no more vaccines, and everyone who had appointments were going to be canceled," Conroy says. "I don't think there's an excuse for the delay…they had months to prepare for this. Why was this not set up months in advance?"
Residents also say the state's website to sign-up crashes, shows no time slots available and any future appointments are weeks away.
"It needs to be fixed, and it needs to be fixed quickly because people are dying because of this," Conroy says.
For some residents, it will be a waiting game to see when Putnam gets more vaccines. For those who've already gotten the first shot, it's a more time-sensitive matter.
"If we're getting a limited amount for the first dose, two weeks from a week ago, we're gonna have to get the second doses out as well," Odell says.
Latest announcements about the vaccine can be found on the Putnam County Health Department's website.