Feds Expand Vaccine Eligibility But Not Distribution of Doses

NEW CITY, NY — As the federal government again expands its list of people who are eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccination, state and local health officials are frustrated by the administration's slow distribution of vaccine doses.

"The Rockland County Department of Health urges residents who are eligible to sign up for appointments wherever they are available," officials said in a statement Tuesday. "RCDOH cannot predict how many more doses will be received this week or in coming weeks."

Rockland health officials announced Tuesday that the county had received another 200 doses. That many eligible residents already signed up to be vaccinated, and no additional appointments are currently available, officials said. The county has now received 1,200 doses of the vaccine. The county vaccinated 1,000 people last week; they must return for a second dose in 28 days.

The shipment, part of the 300,000 doses a week which New York State receives from the federal government, arrived as the federal Centers for Disease Control changed course and announced, a day after saying anyone 75 and older should be eligible, that anyone 65 and older should be eligible.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo expressed frustration Tuesday morning that the CDC's changes were making it hard for residents and health officials to cope.

"300,000 doses per week, and 7 million people who desperately want the vaccine quickly," he said. "We need patience at an impatient time in history."

Each week's shipment of 300,000 doses is distributed among New York's 10 regions based on population. In the Hudson region, doses are distributed among the seven counties to health departments, hospitals and other providers in the state's new coronavirus vaccine network, which started up on Monday.

At the current rate of supply, Cuomo said, vaccinating all the New Yorkers who are now eligible would take six months, not to mention those under 65.

Cuomo said the state would continue to follow the federal guideline. "I want to keep people as calm as possible in these anxious times. I don't want anyone to think they're not eligible when someone else is," he said. "But we still have drip drip drip from the federal faucet. Is that helpful? I don't think this is going to build national confidence, I think it's going to create national frustration."

Within the state's new distribution network, New York's hospitals should continue to prioritize vaccinating medical workers, he said. With the UK strain of the coronavirus threatening the country because it is far more contagious, "Our number one risk is the collapse of hospital systems and we're seeing that all across the nation," he said. He recommended that county health departments focus on police, fire and other first responders.

Local politicians were frustrated as well.

"The Rockland County Department of Health showcased their experience and expertise by administering 1,000 doses of vaccine over the course of three days last week," County Executive Ed Day said Monday. "We are ready, willing, and able to assist New York State’s vaccination efforts in whatever way we are called upon to do so but we need NYS to provide us with the vaccine to keep these efforts going."

Assemblyman Ken Zebrowski said the state's 24-hour-old network for distributing vaccines to the public was already a failure. He called on the State Health Department to establish a large-scale vaccination center in Rockland County.

"My office has been on the phone with countless Rockland residents over the age of 75 who are confused and frustrated that they can’t make any appointment for a vaccine," he said Monday. "We need a major vaccine center, similar to the testing center at Anthony Wayne, established immediately ... This center should integrate seamlessly with our Rockland County Health Department to utilize their resources and local expertise."

Newly-elected Assemblyman Mike Lawler went even further, saying Cuomo should not have started giving his annual State of the State address while the pandemic continues.

“The governor needs to spend less time and state resources on shameless, self-promotional PowerPoints & grandiose addresses, and more time on the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccines so that we can get back to a sense of normalcy and ensure the health and well-being of our residents," Lawler said in a media release.

New York has updated its website so that when vaccine providers are accepting appointments, those who are currently eligible can sign up.

Immunocompromised individuals are also slated to become eligible to get vaccinated under the new federal guidelines, but state officials are still working with the CDC to determine who qualifies as part of that group, according to Melissa DeRosa, a top aide to the governor.

As of yesterday, the Hudson region continued to see new cases of coronavirus.