ALBANY – Albany County announced on Wednesday that it has launched a pre-registration option on its website for healthcare professionals and essential personnel who are currently eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
County executive Dan McCoy said the pre-registration system aims to facilitate the vaccine application process for those in state eligibility categories 1a and 1b who have not yet been vaccinated. The county had already publicized registration events online on Tuesdays for vaccine clinics later in the week, but vacancies run out almost immediately – leaving many frustrated when their turn comes.
“Enough of the ‘Hunger Games’, folks,” McCoy said on Wednesday. “It took a little longer than I wanted … but basically the biggest complaint is that people struggle to connect, the (clinics) fill up quickly and are closed.”
The county is encouraging essential workers 1a and 1b to pre-register through the website, which is available at albany.518c19.com. Although people 65 and older are also eligible for vaccination, the county is not authorized to vaccinate them.
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McCoy said the site allows people to list any chronic health conditions. People with certain chronic health conditions will become eligible for vaccination starting next week, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced on Monday, and counties have been authorized to vaccinate them. They are also encouraged to pre-register through the website.
“Starting next week, Albany County will be able to vaccinate (people) of any age with comorbidities, including over 65,” county spokeswoman Mary Rozak said by email. “We are encouraging anyone to pre-register and when the time comes to be eligible, they will be on the list.”
Whoever fills out the form will be asked how they would like to be notified, including by text message, email or phone.
Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan said the pre-registration form will also be available on the city’s website, and said people who help friends or loved ones to sign up can fill out the form on behalf of the other person.
“The best thing about it is that if you don’t understand the computer, someone can help you fill it out,” she said. “So you can fill in for someone as your helper. If you have an elderly person that you don’t want to receive the call to schedule the appointment, you are their advisor or child and you want to get a call, you can put that information in. we’re really trying to make sure we can connect with people in an effective way. “
Sheehan noted that the form also asks for an address, which will be useful when providers seek to host equity-focused vaccine clinics that target particular housing developments.
“For example, (Albany) College of Pharmacy has been a great partner,” she said. “So, if they get 60 vaccines and say they want to focus on the elderly in a specific housing estate, they can go to this list and remove all those who are already pre-registered at that address. So, it really is allowing those who are receiving these vaccinations to have a tool that will now allow them to reach very underrepresented populations across the county … gaining access to the vaccine. “
Other local counties have also adopted a pre-registration option in an effort to relieve anxiety.
Schenectady County even encouraged people aged 65 and over to pre-register on its website if the county is eventually allowed to vaccinate that age group.
Local state assembly members Patricia Fahy, John McDonald and Carrie Woerner issued a joint statement earlier this week asking the state to create its own pre-registration tool. At the moment, people are forced to call or visit dozens of websites from different providers – including the state Department of Health’s mass vaccination site registration site – daily to try to apply for the vaccine, often without a list of vaccines. standby or pre-registration option that will notify them when slots are available.
“The vaccine distribution process is confusing, frustrating and leaves an already anxious population even more,” they wrote. “We need a direct system that combines supply with demand. We recommend that the Governor and the Department of Health adopt a pre-registration system that will allow the state and municipalities to simplify the scheduling process, eliminate competition for vaccine appointments, reduce the need to travel several hours to ensure vaccination and, in general , reduce the stress that people are experiencing. “
Where can we get our information?
We monitor updates from local, regional and national government and check facts or data before publishing. The sources we trust include:
Local resources: Daily reports from the health departments of Albany County, Columbia, Greene, Rensselaer, Saratoga, Schenectady, Warren and Washington.
State resources: The New York State Department of Health and the Department of Health’s COVID School Bulletin.
National resources: National data on verified test sites, compiled from local health departments, health providers and cities, counties and states. We also have national, state and municipal data from the Johns Hopkins COVID-19 Case Tracker and The COVID Tracking Project.
Other resources: Information on vaccines collected from government agencies, the companies that produce them and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
We also turn to doctors, nurses, scientists and other public health experts. We look for accuracy in our reports, but sometimes new developments can happen quickly. If we find that the information is incorrect, we will update it as soon as possible. You can help by reporting any discrepancies to [email protected]. Learn more about our coronavirus coverage.