SWAN LAKE -- Marc Lerner was used to living an active life, often spending time in Florida. He'd go for walks, spend time with friends and take trips to the store.

“He had a very full life,” says his daughter Barbara.

But once the COVID-19 pandemic began, she went down and picked him up, believing he'd be safer back home in Sullivan County.

Since then, she and her brother have been a few of the only interactions he's had. Despite being well past the age of eligibility and on over 15 waiting lists, the Swan Lake resident and World War II veteran has not received one call back or notification that vaccines are available.

While living in isolation, Marc lost a sister, brother and brother-in-law, all within a few weeks.

“The emotional and mental toll it's caused is immense, for him and so many in his generation,” said Barbara. “When you're independent for so long and now all you see are your kids and one other person, it's tough.”

Also, for so many families like Barbara's, it isn't just the lives of the older members that's affected.

“We've had to shrink our bubbles as well,” she said, in hopes of not exposing their father to the virus.

Barbara, who just got her first shot, has been trying since January to get her father one. She spends at least two hours a day doing so, starting at 7 a.m. and checking various websites throughout the day.

This includes four county websites (Sullivan, Orange, Delaware and Ulster), five pharmacies, two hospitals, Sullivan and Orange Counties' Offices for the Aging, New York State's main vaccination website and the VA.

“There should be a central database where you can login and be on every list,” she said. “Many people aren't even aware that you have to sign up separately at Walmart, Walgreens, Medicine Shoppe, etc. [And] there's no coordination between the sites and the registration process.”

As frustration continues to grow for so many who are eligible and not yet able to get the vaccine, Barbara does not agree with some criticism directed at the county.

She complimented Public Health Director Nancy McGraw for “keeping county residents informed and letting them know what they can expect and hope for.”

“I think this comes down, initially, to the federal government with their rollout,” she said, adding that she believes the county and local medical agencies are ready and able to give out the vaccine, but supply continues to be the issue.

“They're doing the best they can with the limited resources they have,” she said.

Lerner said they were only recently able to get high speed internet at her father's house in Swan Lake, and worries for those without it, since most of the registration process takes place online.

“It's exhausting,” she said. “It's at a level of great concern. I feel most for people who are elderly and live in rural areas.”

Vaccine team-up

On Friday, it was announced that Sullivan County Public Health Services and Garnet Health Medical Center-Catskills continue to partner to mount clinics to get COVID-19 vaccine out to residents.

As of Friday, February 26, Public Health has administered 2,155 vaccines (which includes 1,617 first doses and 538 second doses of the Moderna vaccine) in just over a month. The majority of these individuals have been essential workers as defined in category 1B by the State, and those age 65 and over.

Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills has administered 3,600 doses, which includes 1,811 first doses and 1,789 second doses.

“Garnet and Public Health have long been close allies in the constant quest for better health in Sullivan County, and the coronavirus pandemic has brought us even closer,” said McGraw. “Using our notification list of residents who are eager to be vaccinated, our collaboration will result in several hundred more people receiving their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine this coming week.”

Both groups have partnered since December, even sharing staff and resources through a memorandum agreement. Weekly planning calls are also held to touch base with additional partners, including the Center for Discovery and Sun River Healthcare, and to redistribute vaccines as they become available.

Public Health expects to receive additional doses this week from the regional distribution hub in addition to the weekly allocation of 300-400 doses that it has been ordering.

Knowing that Public Health has a list of over 10,000 people interested in being vaccinated, Garnet leaders are willing to commit to working in collaboration with the County, utilizing its notification list.

Individuals can sign up at www.sullivanny.us/departments/publichealth/covidvaccines, or those without access to the Internet can call 845-807-0925, which will be answered by a live person during business hours Monday through Friday.

“We are gearing up to have a much larger clinic at SUNY Sullivan shortly, and we will use the notification list to make that announcement simply because there are so many people on it who have been waiting," noted McGraw.

Garnet Health Medical Center - Catskills will also be able to benefit from the County's growing notification list to reach the public to notify them about upcoming clinics in Harris at their campus.

“Every dose we give to someone in Sullivan County is a welcome step forward in keeping everyone safe and in returning to normal life," McGraw said. "I thank Garnet, our Emergency Community Assistance Center, the State and all our partners for 'thinking outside the box' and helping us reach high-risk people who might otherwise face significant challenges in registering for a clinic."