ALBANY – Counties across the state are now going to be the front lines in the distribution of COVID-19 vaccine.
During the first two weeks of inoculations, hospitals have received the vaccines and administered them to staff.
But now, counties are receiving doses and will be providing them to nursing homes and first responders.
Dutchess County Executive Marcus Molinaro, chairman of the New York State County Executives Association, told a virtual news conference that county health departments have procedures in place for large scale events such as this.
“If they had activated the county plans first, you would grow into this problem, but we are here now, and so we believe that activating our plans and getting those up and running by partnering with those other healthcare providers wee can expand and get to those populations,” he said.
Orange County Executive Steven Neuhaus said any hospitals that have doses left over after they vaccinated their staffs should be administered to first responders.
