Hudson Headwaters schedules around 3,000 COVID-19 vaccines as Phase 1B gets underway

QUEENSBURY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Hudson Headwaters Health Network helps communities stay healthy across roughly 7,200 square miles through the North Country. This week, they laid out some details on how they’re getting COVID-19 vaccines out to those eligible in New York’s Phase 1A and 1B plans.

Hudson Headwaters operates facilities across six counties, from larger centers in Moreau and Queensbury to smaller and more remote operations in further-out areas of Essex and Clinton counties. HHHN Community Relations Manager Jane Hooper said in a phone call Wednesday that all 21 Hudson Headwaters health centers are giving out as many doses as they can.

“Moreau does quite a few, Champlain and Plattsburgh do a lot,” Hooper said. “And then some of our smaller centers, like Fort Edward or Indian Lake, just do less because they serve communities that are smaller.”

The 3,000 or so vaccinations currently scheduled will deplete the supply of Moderna vaccines Hudson Headwaters has received from the New York State Department of Health. As of right now, there’s no clear sign of when another batch will come.

The best way to keep up with supply from the health center is online, on a coronavirus section of their website that gets updated several times per day.

The first batch arrived around Dec. 23. It came straight from New York State, as the next one will.

“We don’t get any of our vaccines from the hospitals,” Hooper said.

Phases 1A and 1B include doctors, nurses, health care workers, first responders, teachers, grocery store employees and others. Vaccinations through the health network are by appointment only, as they are at the county level and through hospitals.

After this week, Hudson Headwaters will have administered around 6,000 doses. Those numbers get reported alongside those from other vaccine providers, which Hooper said the network is in consistent communication with.

“Hudson Headwaters is always talking to local hospitals and health departments because we always need to share information.”

The network advises using its online portal for up-to-date vaccine information, saying that phone lines at individual centers are too swamped to keep up.

Vaccination is also happening at the county level in Warren County this week, while neighboring Washington County still awaits a vaccine supply.