Here's How Many Polio Vaccines Have Now Been Administered In Rockland; Date For New Clinic

Countywide, 379 people have received polio vaccines in Rockland with 71 of those provided by the county health department in response to a case of polio in a resident confirmed last week by the Centers for Disease Control and the state Department of Health.

The polio vaccine.
Photo Credit: *Rockland County Government*

Kathy Reakes

07/26/2022 3:25 p.m.

The ages of those vaccinated directly by the county included 39 people over 65, 30 people ages 20 to 64, and two people under 20 years old, the department of health said.

The next polio clinic will be held Friday, July 29, from 10 a.m. to noon at the Pomona Health Complex 50 Sanatorium Road, Pomona (Building A).

Rockland County residents can pre-register for a free appointment here or call 845-238-1956 to schedule.

Walk-ins will also be accepted.

Those who are fully immunized are at low risk and the focus remains to get shots to those unvaccinated or behind on their 4-dose polio vaccine series up to date with the vaccination, the department of health said.

Circulation of this disease only happens or continues if overall vaccination rates remain low, they added.

According to the state Department of Health, most Rockland County schools meet state vaccination requirements with at least 98 percent of students vaccinated against polio.

On Monday, July 25, County Executive Ed Day met with Rockland BOCES Leadership, which agreed to send letters to school districts about vaccination requirements.

Immunization information will be reviewed at the start of the 2022-2023 school year to ensure compliance in all schools, public and private, Day said.

Earlier this summer, the health department also sent 3,000 letters to families whose children were not up to date with the vaccinations, he added.

Wastewater samples tested from Rockland County Sewer District #1 -- which serves large portions of Ramapo and Clarkstown and some parcels of Orangetown -- from June 2022, revealed detectable poliovirus, county officials said.

This may have been from the singular confirmed case so the significance of this is unknown. It was not detected in the Orangetown Sewer District area during the same period, the health department said.

Currently, the county, state, and CDC are continuing to collect and conduct tests of wastewater samples to determine if the virus is circulating. This determination may take time, they said.

Results will be disclosed as they become available.

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