Dutchess County, NY sent this bulletin at 03/18/2021 11:00 AM EDT
Poughkeepsie, NY … Dutchess County Executive Marc Molinaro hosted his most recent online town hall forum regarding COVID-19 on Wednesday, updating residents about the pandemic, the County’s response and vaccine distribution, among other topics, while answering their questions.
The event is available to view on-demand on the County’s YouTube page, which includes an archive of the more than 60 other online conversations County Executive Molinaro has hosted since March 2020.
Among the highlights of Wednesday’s conversation:
- County Executive Molinaro recapped his 2021 State of the County address, which was released on Tuesday, March 16th via the County’s website and Facebook and Twitter pages. The County Executive’s annual message reflected on the challenges of the past year dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and looked ahead into 2021 with continued commitment to working together to make Dutchess County a freer, fairer and healthier community for all.
- County Executive Molinaro updated residents on the most current data, as of Wednesday, available on the Dutchess County COVID-19 Community Impact Dashboard:
- 575,903 tests completed to date
- 24,039 confirmed cases to date
- 1,127 current active cases
- 41.51 new cases per 100,000 population
- 50 Current hospitalizations
- 418 deaths to date
- Positivity Rate for Dutchess County (7-day rolling avg.): 4.71% (as of March 15)
- Dutchess County vaccine metrics (as of March 15) have also been added to the Dashboard that reflects data published on the State’s Vaccine Tracker:
- 65,241 Dutchess residents with at least one dose of the vaccine
- 22.17% of total population with one dose
- 29,545 residents completed vaccine series
- 10.04% of total population with complete vaccine series
- This week, 3,200 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been allocated to providers throughout Dutchess County by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH), County Executive Molinaro said. Allocations include:
- The Dutchess County Department of Behavioral & Community Health (DBCH) is slated to receive 1,500 doses of Moderna vaccine and 500 doses of Johnson & Johnson from New York State to vaccinate eligible groups at the County’s Poughkeepsie and Dover Point of Dispensing (POD) sites, by appointment only.
- Additionally, the County continues to host pop-up vaccination sites with upcoming sites in Beacon next week, followed by sites in Pine Plains and Hyde Park.
- Dutchess County also continues to partner with area primary care providers to vaccinate homebound and medically frail senior citizens.
- Additional doses have been allocated by New York State to hospitals and pharmacies in Dutchess County. Updates about these vaccine allocations are posted at dutchessny.gov/covidvaccine.
- County Executive Molinaro reminded residents that the County has expanded access to its vaccination clinics to restaurant and food pantry workers, taxi drivers, and public-facing hotel employees. Employers looking to vaccinate their personnel are encouraged to reach out via email to vaccineappointments@dutchessny.gov for more information.
- Last week, the State announced new eligible priority groups, including:
- Those who are 60 and older
- Public-facing government and public employees
- Non-profit workers who provide public-facing services
- Essential, in-person, public-facing building service workers
- The State also announced all vaccine providers can vaccinate any eligible group beginning this week, except pharmacies, which will still be required to prioritize those who are 60 and older but will be able to vaccinate teachers per Federal guidance.
- Additionally, for residents who are eligible due to an underlying health condition, the County’s vaccination sites are now accepting self-certification as proof of eligibility. Residents can now print and sign the new Dutchess County COVID-19 Vaccine Certification of Eligibility form and bring it with them to their vaccine appointment.
- The County’s Vaccine Outreach Coalition held its first meeting last week to ensure equitable distribution of vaccine doses throughout the county. And, thanks to a collaboration with area libraries, residents can now call any library in Dutchess County for assistance with signing up for the County’s Vaccination Information Request Form.
- Residents who have already been vaccinated and who completed the Dutchess County Vaccination Information Request Form can remove themselves from the County’s list by completing the form at dutchessny.gov/GotMyVaccine to help expedite notification about appointments available at County sites to others waiting to be vaccinated. Individuals will still receive weekly updates to share with loved ones still waiting for their shot.
- The Dutchess County Parks Division will host a “Sap Happy Maple Weekend” with tasty, educational, and fun events for all ages, in collaboration with the Office for the Aging, Poughkeepsie Public Library, and Farmers and Chefs restaurant, from Friday, March 26 through Monday, March 29 at Bowdoin Park, located at 85 Sheafe Road in the Town of Poughkeepsie. Learn more and register for events at dutchessny.gov/parks.
County Executive Molinaro will host his next Telephone and Facebook Live Town Hall on Wednesday, March 24th at 5:30pm. Residents can dial 845-765-7121 to listen and ask their questions or watch live on the County’s Facebook page.