New York Coronavirus Vaccine: Who, When, How

NEW YORK — New York began vaccinating residents against the coronavirus three weeks ago, and as hospitalizations climb, details have emerged about who can get the vaccine and when.

The federal government has made limited amounts of the vaccine available to New York through a phased distribution.

The distribution rate to New York is 1.2 million doses per month. The state needs 40 million doses to vaccinate 20 million New Yorkers, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday. "Obviously it's a very long timeline at this supply rate."

Meanwhile, state officials launched a webpage (which they termed an app) called "Am I Eligible" to help New Yorkers determine their vaccine eligibility, connect them with administration centers and schedule appointments. Those eligible must complete the state's COVID-19 vaccine form before receiving a shot.

The first group of New Yorkers eligible to receive vaccinations included nursing home residents and staff, high-risk hospital workers, EMS workers, urgent care providers, medical examiners and those who administer the vaccine.

On Monday, more New Yorkers became eligible for the vaccine, including:

• Outpatient/ambulatory front-line, high-risk health care workers who provide direct in-person patient care
• Public health care workers who provide direct in-person care, including those who conduct COVID-19 tests and handle lab specimens
• Home care workers
• Hospice workers
• Nursing home and other congregate setting workers who have yet to receive a vaccine through the federal nursing home vaccination program

"Not only are all health care workers — the heroes who have taken care of us throughout this entire pandemic — now eligible to receive their first dose, but we are taking steps to ensure providers expedite vaccinations, resources are in place to vaccinate the general public, and bad actors looking to game the system are held accountable," Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday.

Next, the vaccine will be prioritized for essential workers and the 2.5 million New Yorkers who are 75 or older, Cuomo said Tuesday. Essential workers include firefighters and police; teachers and school staff; those working in food, agricultural and manufacturing sectors; corrections workers; U.S. Postal Service employees; public transit workers; and grocery store workers.

Vaccinating the public

State officials are organizing the rollout of mass vaccinations in several ways.

First, the plan is to establish pop-up vaccination centers similar to the mobile testing centers established in the spring. The state is also identifying public facilities and convention centers for vaccination centers, and is recruiting retired nurses, doctors and pharmacists to support vaccine administration. SEE: First Nassau County Coronavirus Vaccine Center Opening

Second, state officials are building what they're calling "Community Vaccination Kits" for communities where there are few pharmacies, hospitals or clinics. They plan to work with public housing officials, churches and community centers to identify the most appropriate locations for kit deployments.

They've identified hundreds of places around the state in addition to hospitals where people can go when they're eligible.

"Getting this vaccine out is going to be the single greatest operation government has ever had to accomplish, and we're taking bold actions to ensure it is delivered swiftly and equitably for all New Yorkers," Cuomo said.

The state is also asking essential-worker entities such as police, fire and transit departments with medical staffs to take charge of doing their own vaccines, to take pressure off the distribution system for the general public.

Expediting vaccinations

Concerned that the vaccine is not being administered quickly enough, state officials took two steps as 2021 began.

First, state Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker issued a letter to hospitals outlining the expectations for vaccine administration. This includes:

• Any provider must use the vaccine inventory currently on hand by the end of this week or face a fine up to $100,000;
• Moving forward, a facility must use all of its vaccine allotment within seven days of receipt;
• Providers who do not comply or are found to be seriously deficient can be subject to more serious sanctions and fines, including being disqualified from future distribution

On Tuesday, Cuomo took back his Monday comment that the state would remove unused doses from the hospitals who haven't used all their initial allocations for staff vaccines, because of the problems of moving a vaccine that must be kept so cold. He said the hundreds of public distribution centers to come may not include the hospitals who are least efficient at vaccinating their own staffs.

Related:

• Hospitals In HV Among Slowest To Administer Coronavirus Vaccine
• LI Hospital Among Slowest For Vaccine Distribution

Second, the state will supplement the federal government's Nursing Home Vaccination Program, in which staff and residents receive vaccinations through a partnership with pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens. According to the latest data, 288 facilities, or about 47 percent, have completed the first dose for residents, officials said Monday. The state will help 234 more facilities administer the first dose this week.

"This will ensure that 85 percent of facilities have administered the first dose to residents by week's end, with the remaining 15 percent to be completed over the next two weeks," Cuomo said.

Punishing fraud

Cuomo said he will issue an executive order stating that if any entity falsifies who or what they are, or if any entity does not follow state guidelines for vaccine eligibility, that provider will be subject to license revocation. He said he will also propose legislation to make these acts criminal moving forward.

Related:

HV Clinic Accused Of Fraudulently Getting, Giving Coronavirus Vaccine

Coronavirus hospitalizations in the state climbed to more than 8,000 as of Monday:

Editor's Note: This article has been updated to include new information provided Tuesday by Gov. Andrew Cuomo.