As of March 22, Ulster County vaccination sites have given 52,103 vaccines, with 29.2% of Ulster County residents with at least their first dose.
As new vaccination sites have begun to open and the county begins to receive more doses after a request from County Executive Pat Ryan. Vaccinating the entirety of Ulster County is underway.
21,071 Ulster County residents have received both doses of their COVID-19 vaccine.
“This is a significant milestone in our pandemic response as we continue to ramp up our vaccination efforts,” Ryan said in a press release. “Ensuring that we can vaccinate all of our residents in a safe, rapid, and equitable way remains my top priority as we continue to work to increase access to this life-saving vaccine.”
Part of this increase in vaccinations was the shift in the county’s main vaccination location, which was originally the Kate Walton Field House. Now it is the former Best Buy location at the Hudson Valley Mall which allows up to 2,500 doses a day to be administered, this allows over 1,000 more vaccines to be given than at the original location.
“Our new vaccination center will allow for greater access and accessibility for the residents of Ulster County,” Ryan said. “As County Executive, I am committed to continuing to advocate for additional doses and work to ensure that vaccines are distributed in a quick and equitable way. I want to thank Kingston Superintendent Paul Padalino and the entire City of Kingston School District for working with us to stand up our primary vaccination site at the Kate Walton Field. Their partnership allowed for us to vaccinate thousands of our residents in a safe and accessible location.”
Additionally, following Ryans’ request to expand vaccination sites, on March 19 New York State officially opened a new state-run mass vaccination at the Ulster County Fairgrounds in New Paltz.
The fairgrounds are located at 249 Libertyville Rd and will run between the hours of 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., and currently has 800 appointments open per day.
Additionally, Ryan has announced that the Ulster County Department of Health is now seeking medical and non-medical volunteers to assist in the County-run vaccination site.
“As we build out our vaccine capacity to serve our residents, we are also going to continue to need volunteers with medical and non-backgrounds to step up and serve our community,” Ryan said. “From Day One of the pandemic, I have been so proud of the resiliency and generosity of the people of Ulster County, and I am confident that members of our community will once again step up to assist us at this critical moment.”
Non-medical jobs include greeters, patient flow coordinators, patient flow representatives, medical screeners, observers, logistics/runners and second dose appointment scheduler. Medical jobs include vaccinators, medical consultants, behavioral/mental health consultants and medical screeners.
Non-medical volunteers will receive a $150 daily stipend and medical volunteers will receive a $250 daily stipend.
Residents seeking an appointment at the Hudson Valley Mall can join the waiting list by visiting vaccinateulster.com or call 845-443-8888. Residents seeking an appointment at Ulster County Fairgrounds can visit am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov or call 1-833-NYS-4-VAX.
