Picente Announces Securement of 5,000+ New Vaccine Doses

Will Be Administered at New Site Locations Including Turning Stone Event Center

Oneida County Executive Anthony J. Picente Jr. announced today that the county has secured more than 5,300 new doses that it will administer at new county-operated vaccination sites including the Turning Stone Event Center.

“Time and time again I have said that counties should be taking the lead in the distribution of this vaccine and we have continually pressed the state to give us that power and allocate us more doses,” Picente said. “It appears that persistence is finally paying off and I am pleased that Oneida County will be able to distribute more than 5,300 new first doses to our residents over the next few days. And together with strong partners like the Oneida Indian Nation, we are prepared to increase our distribution efforts even further for what will hopefully be a steady increase in supply moving forward.”

Oneida County will be distributing the newly secured doses, which are a mixture of Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson product, on the following dates:

• March 4, 2021 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at St. Paul’s Baptist Church at 219 Leah St., Utica. (prioritizing minority communities)
• March 5 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.& March 8, 2021 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the Event Center at the Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona.
• March 6, 2021 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the former JC Penney location at Sangertown Square Mall in New Hartford.
• March 7, 2021 from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the drive thru site at Griffiss International Airport in Rome.

All eligible groups will qualify for this round of vaccination, with priority being placed on those over 65 years old. Appointments are required for all three locations and can be secured by visiting www.ocgov.net. The first batch will go live tonight.

All sites will be managed and staffed by the Oneida County Department of Health with assistance from onsite personnel.

“Our Event Center has hosted many major events since opening, but it’s fair to say, none more important than this,” said Oneida Nation Representative and Oneida Nation Enterprises CEO Ray Halbritter. “Oneida County Executive Tony Picente and county officials have worked tirelessly on behalf of our community from Day 1 of the pandemic. We’re pleased to be able do our part to help Oneida County get through these challenging times.”

Oneida County, the Oneida Indian Nation and Kinney Drugs will also be partnering on a vaccination event for those over 65 that will take place later in the month. More details will follow soon.

Second dose appointments scheduled March 7, 2021 for the county’s Mohawk Valley Community College site in Rome will take place simultaneous of the newly announced POD operations.