ALBANY, N.Y. (WCBS 880) — Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday announced that New York will begin offering the COVID-19 vaccine to those under the 1B category starting next week.
The group includes all essential workers, including firefighters, police officers, transit workers and teachers, as well as seniors over the age of 75.
Vaccinations are expected to begin Monday with distribution centers prioritizing their healthcare workers. Those who fall under the 1B category will be allowed to start receiving doses, if sites have availability. Reservations will be required.
The decision comes following days of pressure from New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran and other officials within New York State.
Following the announcement, Mayor de Blasio took to Twitter to announce that city distribution centers will begin administering vaccines to city workers and seniors in the 1B group on Monday.
Gov. Cuomo says the hospitals “were slow” in distributing the vaccine and stressed that the state is currently in a “footrace” to vaccinate all New Yorkers against COVID-19 as hospitalizations and infections continue to climb.
The governor also adds that the new strain of COVID-19, which was first discovered in the United Kingdom, is also an added threat to the state.
“This is the Usain Bolt of infection rates… that’s what the UK strain is, it took over the UK in three weeks. The strain is so powerful, it overtakes the original strain,” Cuomo said. “So, in the footrace, between the infection rate and the vaccine, you just add Usain Bolt on the side of the infection rate.”
Cuomo says to fight the spread, New York needs to dramatically accelerate vaccine distribution and will add new networks to supplement hospitals.
“The larger distribution network will include private doctor networks, what’s called FQHCs, county health departments, ambulatory centers – this is the urgent care, CityMD, etcetera – and the pharmacy network,” the governor said.
Out of the 5,000 pharmacies in New York State, 1,200 have already committed to distributing the vaccine and have vowed to ramp up the process next week.
Hospitals will still be given doses, but they have been instructed to prioritize healthcare workers under the 1A category. Cuomo says that group still needs to reach a 70% vaccination rate in order to achieve herd immunity.
Because 3 million New Yorkers will qualify to receive the vaccine under the 1B category, people will need to schedule an appointment to receive the medicine.
“It can’t just be show up at the pharmacy, it’s going to be – much how it was with COVID testing – go to a website, find out the location nearest you, make a reservation,” Cuomo said.
The governor is also calling on large union groups to organize the administration of the vaccine.
“Many of the police department's I've spoken with, they have EMS, they have EMT, they have medical offices, they can administer literally their own vaccine. Fire departments – the same thing. They have EMS, they have EMTs.
Many county health departments can administer for their police, volunteer fire, etcetera,” Cuomo said. “So whenever we can get a large group to have an alternative distribution, that's good because it relieves pressure on the remaining distribution network.”
The governor says he is hoping to free up the larger distribution network to focus on the largest group in 1B with 1.4 million people: seniors over the age of 75.
He is also activating the Jacob Javits Center to begin administering doses beginning Wednesday.
Once all networks have set up plans to vaccinate, New York will survey and allocate vaccines by group and by region with the goal of vaccinating 4.2 million people in the 1A and 1B categories.
But, the issue remains to be supply.
“Everyone is going say ‘I need more’ and they’re all going to be right. We are rationing a scarce commodity that we don’t control. It’s by the federal government,” the governor said.
New York will be receiving 300,000 doses per week, meaning it will be difficult to get an appointment to receive the vaccine. Cuomo suggests that at the current rate of supply, it will take 14 weeks to vaccinate the entirety of 1A and 1B.
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