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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that as of Wednesday, March 17 sites are now booking appointments at SUNY Orange and the Ulster Fairgrounds in New Paltz.
The site will begin administering shots daily between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. as of Friday, March 19, with each capable of vaccinating 1,000 New Yorkers daily, depending on the supply provided by the federal government.
The SUNY Orange site will be at the Diana Physical Education Center on Conkling Avenue in Middletown.
The Ulster County Fairgrounds site will be on Libertyville Road in New Paltz.
"We have a wide network of COVID vaccination sites and the state is moving full steam ahead opening even more," Cuomo said. "New York needs to be ready for the next increase in supply, and these sites located throughout the state will help bring residents and their families peace of mind and get us a step closer to defeating the COVID-19 pandemic and restoring a sense of normalcy.
"This has been an incredibly difficult year and we have more work to do, but the state is making progress vaccinating New Yorkers and reopening our economy."
Cuomo said that mass vaccination sites are the key to “getting shots in arms” and that just two million New Yorkers have been vaccinated so far, with about 15 million more soon to be eligible.
“This is the hardest operational and logistical operation we’ve ever dealt with before,” he added. “This is a major task, and the single most effective vaccination mechanism is a mass vaccination site.”
Cuomo noted that as of March 17, a new class of essential workers becomes eligible, meaning that making an appointment may become even more difficult.
The governor said that he plans to get the vaccine at a pop-up center in a Black community in the coming days to make the point that it’s safe. He also said he plans to take the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine to prove that it’s safe.
“New Yorkers have displayed discipline and dedication following the rules and slowing the spread, and now that we have the vaccine, those efforts are paying off," Cuomo said. "We're committed to quickly expanding the state's vaccine distribution network to get shots in arms as quickly and efficiently as possible, and these three sites will help Long Islanders access the vaccine and gain some peace of mind as we continue battling the pandemic.
“We'll continue expanding our distribution network and vaccinating more New Yorkers as the state receives more supply, and those efforts will help us ensure the state moves through this challenging time together."
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