BY ANDY GARDNER
North Country This Week

POTSDAM – The state-run COVID-19 vaccination clinic at SUNY Potsdam is now giving 1,000 vaccinations per day, St. Lawrence County’s public health director told county legislators.

Dr. Dana McGuire discussed the latest on the county’s vaccination program with the county legislature’s Services Committee during their Monday, Feb. 8 meeting.

In addition, the county is lining up community points of distribution (POD) sites in four towns, but they’re not yet open. The county Public Health website says they’ll be coming soon at the Ogdensburg Golden Dome, Massena Community Center, Gouverneur Community Center and Star Lake Fire Department.

Vaccine eligibility has been expanded to include people with 13 co-morbid conditions that put them at higher risk for COVID-19 complications.

People can use the New York State “Am I Eligible?” online tool at https://am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov or call 1-833-697-4829 to see if they qualify.

Dr. Andrew Williams, president of the St. Lawrence County Board of Health, told the county legislators that people with the co-morbidities will be eligible for the shot starting Feb. 15. The county will have to come up with a “systematic way to confirm people do have these conditions,” he said.

“Vaccine availability is going to be critical” for getting the newly eligible inoculated, he said.

Legislator Joe Lightfoot, R-Ogdensburg, asked Dr. Williams if the county is using all the vaccine that’s coming here, and the doctor said yes.

“We’ve generally done as well or better than most counties at getting vaccines into arms,” Dr. Williams said.

Underlying conditions that now qualify people for a COVID-19 vaccine include: cancer (current or in remission); chronic kidney disease; pulmonary disease such as COPD, asthma, pulmonary fibrosis or cystic fibrosis; intellectual and developmental disabilities, including Down syndrome; heart conditions, including high blood pressure; immunocompromised state that can include solid organ transplant, immunodeficienies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, or use of immune weakening medication; severe obesity; pregnancy; sickle cell disease or Thalassemia; type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus; cerebrovascular disease (affecting the blood vessels and blood supply to the brain); neurological conditions that can include Alzheimer’s or dementia; and liver disease.

“If you look at who suffers from COVID-19, it seems to be people with these comorbid illnesses,” Dr. Williams said.