How can you get the COVID vaccine in Columbia County?

This story has seen updated as December 14, 2020 to correct that vaccines for health care workers are expected to be received by mid-January not the general public.

HUDSON, N.Y. (NEWS10)—According to Columbia County Director of Health Jack Mabb, the county is hoping to have 200 doses of the coronavirus vaccine by mid-January for frontline health care workers. Director Mabb believes they will receive vaccines for the public by March or April and can then start to vaccinate 20% or just over 12,000 county residents.

The primary location for vaccinations is the A.B. Shaw Fire Company’s firehouse in Claverack. 

“They built a very large modern firehouse within the last five years,” said Director Mabb. “It’s capable of allowing us to have four lanes driving through the building.”

With four lanes, Mabb believes they will be able to process 200 people an hour. On Tuesday the 15, the Health Department will use the firehouse for coronavirus testing and as a test run for when the vaccine arrives.

“We put out the word that we need volunteers,” the Director said. “We got retired nurses, a couple of retired doctors who want to do the vaccination. I have Columbia-Greene Community College nursing students who can vaccinate as long as their supervisor is on hand.”

Mabb believes the two-part vaccination will increase the workload on his staff but he believes the volunteers along with his staff will be able to pull this off.