Nurse Gail Lautenschuetz draws a dose of coronavirus vaccine Feb. 25 at the North Country Community College gym in Saranac Lake. (Enterprise photo — Elizabeth Izzo)

PLATTSBURGH — Though mass vaccination sites in Plattsburgh and Potsdam are not currently booking first-dose appointments as far out as those in more populated areas, they are not closing.

“We’re tracking supply and demand on a daily basis, and will continue to monitor those trends and make adjustments accordingly,” state Department of Health Public Information Officer Samantha Fuld told the Press-Republican.

“We continue to take a multi-pronged, multi-faceted approach to breaking down barriers to access and empowering all New Yorkers to confidently make the decision to get vaccinated.”

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Lease agreement

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The state has operated vaccination clinics at Plattsburgh International Airport’s Connecticut Road property and SUNY Potsdam’s Maxcy Hall since January, serving both eligible tri-county residents and those from elsewhere in the state seeking the jabs.

They are currently the area’s primary sources of Pfizer vaccine, the only vaccine currently authorized in the U.S. for administration to 16- and 17-year-olds.

The Clinton County Legislature recently approved a resolution authorizing a lease agreement with the state Office of General Services for use of the buildings and parking lots at 213 and 234 Connecticut Road. According to the resolution, OGS anticipates using the area through July 14.

But during the legislature’s regular meeting Wednesday, county Office of Emergency Services Director Eric Day said the site was down to operating five vaccination stations and that people are no longer able to schedule appointments as far out as they used to. He also referenced rumors of a looming closure.

“I have heard no official word as of yet when the state vaccination site might be closing,” he told the Press-Republican Thursday, “only speculation that at this point that it might be sooner rather than later based on the declining numbers of people seeking first doses at the site.”

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170,000 doses

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As of Thursday, appointments at either site could be booked out as far as Tuesday, May 4, while sites in Rochester and Westchester displayed appointments available through Monday, May 31. By Friday, seven more dates had been added at the Plattsburgh site and three more at the Potsdam location.

The DOH said there are an adequate number of stations at the Plattsburgh site, which is based on scheduled appointments, and that second doses will continue to be facilitated at both locations.

According to the DOH, more than 170,000 doses have been administered collectively at the two clinics.

“Our goal is to get as many shots into as many arms as we can, as quickly and equitably as humanly possible,” Fuld said.

At the legislature’s meeting, Clinton County Health Department Director of Public Health John Kanoza expressed the desire to discuss with those who operate the state site the possibility of booster doses of COVID vaccine that may be needed in the future.

DOH did not directly answer questions about whether the state has started planning for rollout of booster shots later this year or next year, or if the North Country sites would be utilized in such plans.

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Younger than 18

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CCHD Senior Public Health Educator Molly Flynn said her agency has not received confirmation from the state about the potential closure of the mass vaccination site in Plattsburgh.

She noted that CCHD, along with partners in neighboring counties and at University of Vermont Health Network, Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital, have been looking into the logistics and planning involved in using the Pfizer vaccine for those younger than 18.

“This will be especially important if the authorization for use is expanded to include those ages 12 to 15,” Flynn added.

Kanoza said at the legislature meeting that about a third of the county’s current positive cases were pre-K through 12th-grade students.

He added that CCHD is working closely with schools on a publicity campaign to ramp up desire for families to have their 16- to 18-year-olds get vaccinated.

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Putting off walk-ins

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This week, state-run mass vaccination sites in the North Country and throughout the state opened up to walk-in appointments for anyone eligible to get vaccinated.

Kanoza said that the health department has accepted walk-ins at the end of its clinics, but so far has abstained from completely opening them up for unregistered walk-ins.

“We don’t mind wasting one or two (doses) — all counties, all state vaccination clinics are wasting vaccine right now to the tune of a couple here, a couple there, we want to keep it that way,” he told legislators.

“When you go to walk-ins without registering, the odds of you having a lot of wasted vaccine increase, okay? So that’s the issue with walk-ins. We’re going to put that off as long as we can until we don’t have any choice anymore.”

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Vaccine outreach

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Flynn noted how the focus for many health departments has shifted from larger-scale vaccine sites to smaller “pop-up” style clinics.

“Reaching community members where they live, learn, work, worship or play is going to be important in reaching our goals and getting back to something that resembles normalcy in the North Country,” she said.

Vaccination is the safest way to get to herd immunity, which requires about 75 percent of the population to be vaccinated, Flynn continued.

“Our vaccine outreach will continue until we can be sure COVID-19 is no longer a threat in our community.”

Kanoza noted upcoming clinics including a small one in the former Friendly’s parking lot in Plattsburgh, slated for June.

“We’re coming to them because they’re not coming to us anymore, so we’ll try to get those 30, 40 there, 20, 30 there out in the community. It’s tough pickins but we’re doing it, we’re moving forward.”