Putnam County Vaccine Clinics And Testing Sites Will Reduce Operations

Immediate Release

 

Putnam County Executive

MaryEllen Odell 845-808-1001

January 28, 2022

 

With the number of Omicron cases dropping and demand for COVID vaccines and tests decreasing, Putnam County’s vaccine clinics and testing sites will reduce operations, though both can be restarted on short notice, if necessary, Putnam County Executive MaryEllen Odell announced.

The Covid test site in Carmel will be open on Mondays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  In Philipstown, the testing site will be open Wednesdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Both sites will be closed Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022 for the storm.

The Department of Health has scheduled its last vaccine clinic for Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022.

County Executive Odell thanked the Department of Health and Ambulnz, the county’s partner in the drive-through COVID test sites, for helping to keep Putnam residents safe.

“Our Department of Health has worked incredibly hard throughout this entire pandemic to educate and vaccinate our residents. During the recent surge, they ran vaccination clinics every week for everyone eligible,” County Executive Odell said.  “They are a small department, but they never gave up and we owe each member of the staff a debt of gratitude for helping protect our communities.”

In addition to vaccine clinics in Philipstown and Carmel, the Putnam County Department of Health has regularly held clinics in places where immigrants and other hard to reach populations could access them. The department also vaccinated the homebound in partnership with the Department of Social Services.

The Department of Health set up its first COVID vaccine clinic in January 2021 and has administered 25,392 vaccines since then.  In the vaccine clinic scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 1, only 53 people have signed up.

“Because the cases and positivity rate are dropping, people are now, unfortunately, not worrying about getting vaccinated,” Dr. Michael J. Nesheiwat, the Putnam County Commissioner of Health said. “By the time we finish our next two clinics, the demand will be able to be managed by the pharmacies and community providers.”

Ambulnz, the county’s new partner, set up COVID tests sites in Carmel and Philipstown during the height of the Omicron surge, enabling residents on both sides of Putnam County to easily get tested when they needed it most.

“Pharmacies across the county were out of rapid test kits, community medical providers were completely overwhelmed by the demand for tests and the federal and state governments were dragging their feet in offering help to a small county like ours,” Odell said. “Then Ambulnz stepped in and within days they were running a highly-efficient, professional testing operation. Without our partnership with Ambulnz, our residents would have had to travel a great distance to get tested, and who knows how many more COVID cases could have resulted from that impediment to easy testing?”

At the height of the Omicron surge, Ambulnz administered 600 to 700 COVID tests per day.  From Jan. 23 to Jan. 25, only 154 tests were given.

Should the need arise, Ambulnz is prepared to increase the number of testing days per week and can hold COVID vaccine clinics. “We are proud to be serving the residents of Putnam County and look forward to our continued partnership to bring healthcare services to those in need.” Michael Witkowski, Chief of EMS Operations for Ambulnz.

For more information on COVID vaccine clinics and COVID testing sites, see putnamcountyny.com