Tompkins County received a total of 2,470 first doses of COVID-19 vaccine for the week of March 1. Of the 2,470 doses, 1,570 are designated for people aged 65 years and older and 300 are for individuals with comorbidities. TCHD is no longer prioritizing within the comorbidity group and those doses will be made available to the wider age group. The remaining 600 doses are designated for workers in phase 1b and TCHD has prioritized P-12 school workers and in-person college instructors.
The Tompkins County COVID-19 Vaccine Registry is being used to communicate directly with eligible individuals. TCHD uses the eligibility criteria to randomly select groups for available doses when they are made available. In order to ensure that clinics are filled, TCHD may send links to more individuals in a group than the number of available appointments. If you receive a link but no appointment is available, you will continue to receive a link in upcoming weeks.
The vaccine registry DOES NOT sign you up for an appointment. TCHD is encouraging residents of Tompkins County and those who work and/or go to school in Tompkins County to sign up for the registry. TCHD will continue to use the registry to assess demand and communicate with eligible individuals. TCHD recently published a video explaining the vaccine registry on the County’s YouTube page.
During the week of February 25, TCHD received 2,100 doses, inclusive of the delayed doses from the prior week. Priority was given to P-12 school workers, in-person college instructors, and other phase 1b essential workers. These individuals were notified of available appointment using the new vaccine registry. Residents 65 years and older from Titus Towers and McGraw House were transported to the site by TCAT and Gadabout. These collaborative efforts are continuing with other income-based senior living facilities around the County.
As has been widely reported, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine has been approved by the FDA for emergency use authorization. New York State has indicated that allocations of the newly available vaccine will begin in coming weeks as supply becomes available.
For local updates and information, check the TCHD website.
The Tompkins County Health Department is your partner for a healthy community. Find us online at TompkinsCountyNY.gov/health, and follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/TompkinsPublicHealth and on Twitter at @TompkinsHealth.
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