Three Hudson Valley counties were identified by Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Monday for having zip codes with vaccination rates below the statewide average and new positives per capita above the statewide average. Now, they’re left on their own to figure out how they can boost vaccination rates in the area – despite $15 million allocated towards a targeted vaccination campaign.
The zip codes identified in Monday’s announcement include one in Dutchess County (12540), three in Orange County (10930, 10940, 10992) and two in Greene County (12058, 12083).
The level of transmission in Greene County over the past seven days is now so high — 59 cases out of 100,000 as of Wednesday, the highest of any place in New York outside of the Bronx — that the county health department asked residents on its Facebook page on Wednesday to begin wearing masks indoors, whether vaccinated or not. This is in line with the CDC’s suggestion that counties reporting more than 50 new cases per 100,000 residents over a seven-day period require indoor masking for all.
Greene County Public Administrator Shaun Groden clarified on Thursday that the county will not mandate vaccinated and unvaccinated residents to mask up indoors per CDC guidance. Currently, the 49 percent full vaccination rate in Greene County is nearly 8 points lower than the state average.
When the Times Union: Hudson Valley asked Groden earlier this week about the county’s next steps after having the two zip codes identified, he stated he had no knowledge of the governor’s announcement about the funding.
The money, part of $25 billion in federal funds for emergency relief related to the pandemic, has been available since the budget was passed in April. The state comptroller’s office confirmed recently that none of it has been spent to date.
In total, 117 zip codes were identified across the state as having low vaccination rates and high infection rates, with nearly 80 percent of them in New York City or Long Island; the zip codes identified run the gamut to include communities of color and white conservative neighborhoods.
The $15 million campaign is slated to be distributed to community-based groups to help them encourage vaccine-hesitant people to get shots. Although Cuomo described the organizations as “statewide,” each of them are based in New York City.
Groups that will be receiving a chunk of the $15 million include the Hispanic Federation and the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies, both allocated $5.5 million apiece, and $1 million each will go to the New York Immigration Coalition, Asian American Federation, Charles B. Wang Community Center and APICHA Community Health Center.
A press release from the governor’s office states the Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies will conduct “statewide train-the-trainer town halls” for direct outreach and public education on the vaccination.
Other than that, it is unclear what kind of support the 25 targeted zip codes in the rest of the state will get. The governor’s press office did not answer with comment by press time.
Dutchess, Greene and Orange counties, meanwhile, are taking matters into their own hands.
Regarding the two zip codes in Greene County identified by Cuomo on Monday, Groden said those two areas have a large number of P.O. box addresses, which likely suggests the residents actually live somewhere else and may be in region only part time.
Either way, public health officials in Greene are encouraging more people to get vaccinated, including launching a new campaign with the slogan “Why not?”
“We get vaccinated as children for the measles and more,” said Groden. “No one complains about that. Schools have mandates for that.”
Greene County is continuing to offer COVID-19 vaccines at most of its pharmacies. “All of the pharmacies have supply,” said Groden. When the school year is closer to resuming, the county will consider doing a pop-up point of delivery vaccination site, or POD.
With the rise in the delta variant, which currently constitutes 82 percent of current coronavirus cases according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), health and county officials are stressing that is even more important to get vaccinated.
“You’d have a much less severe episode [of COVID-19] than you would if you’re not vaccinated,” said Groden. “With the delta variant, it is much more easily transmitted.”
Orange County vaccination efforts
Orange County has been a few steps ahead in addressing vaccine hesitancy. Last week, staff from the CDC, in conjunction with the New York State Department of Health staff, partnered with teams from the Orange County Department of Health to have meetings and listening sessions with community members and leaders from different municipalities throughout the county.
“These listening sessions, as part of the rapid community assessment of vaccine hesitancy in our area, helped to reveal some of the challenges these communities are having with regard to either access to vaccinations or fears from the vaccination itself,” said Orange County Health Commissioner Dr. Irina Gelman in a written statement.
“Although our health department has a very proactive community health outreach division, community-based organizations having conversations in the community with people who know them and trust them is key to helping to establish trust,” she continued. The county is not aware of any current effort with the organizations Cuomo outlined, however, if local branches are in the county, they will reach out to explore a collaboration.
Kevindaryán Luján, Orange County Legislator, said that while the county is headed in the right direction, they can do even more to fight vaccine hesitancy, especially for the Latino community. He said so far the county has worked with the local chapter of the NAACP, the Newburgh Armory and various local churches to help get the word out.
“For over a year we have been talking about the dire need for more outreach and creating awareness campaigns in our most hard to reach populations,” said Luján. “While there has certainly been some gradual improvements, their still remains a major disconnect between what has been said for over a year and what we are seeing on the ground.”
He said he still has constituents approach him who have not gotten vaccinated because they believe they need health insurance or because they don’t know where to go due to their language barrier. “We can and must do better,” said Luján, who continues to encourage bringing vaccinations to where people are, for example to outdoor events, festivals and concerts.
In an effort to collaborate with different local stakeholders, the Orange County Department of Health is forming a multi-disciplinary coalition to address COVID-19 vaccine confidence throughout the county. Vaccine health education mailers have also been sent out in Orange County, with a specific focus on the areas with lower vaccination rates and higher infection rates.
Dutchess County vaccination efforts
Similar to the other two counties, Dutchess County also hasn’t received any information from the state regarding the funding awards to the various community organizations and how that outreach will work.
However, the county continues to monitor low vaccination rate areas and has been encouraging more people to get vaccinated. This Saturday, the county is holding a community pop-up vaccine clinic from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Christ Episcopal Church with walk-ins welcome. Residents are also encouraged to go to their local pharmacies to get vaccinated. Twelve independent pharmacies, in addition to various CVS, Rite Aid and Walgreens locations, in the area are offering vaccines.
Dutchess County also has a vaccine outreach coalition to help educate and inform about the importance of getting the vaccine. Around the county you can find testimonial yard signs featuring coalition members with the slogan “I got my shot – did you?” To help encourage the Latino community to get vaccinated, they have worked with local church officials and have run digital and radio advertisements on Poughkeepsie-based media company, ABClatino.
The increased push on the county level to get people vaccinated follows other incentives from the state and federal government. In New York, teenagers who received the COVID-19 vaccine had a chance at free tuition and housing for any public four-year college, and anyone who got vaccinated back in May and June left with a free lottery scratch-off ticket with a top prize of $5 million. Now, the Biden administration is encouraging states and cities to pay people $100 to get vaccinated, suggesting it comes out of the $350 billion of relief funds that is being given to states and cities.
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