COVID-19: New York govt to give priority to healthcare workers, at-risk people for vaccine

New York Goverr Andrew Cuomo anunced on October 18 that healthcare workers in patient-care settings and high-risk population including long-term care facility workers and patients would get priority in state to receive COVID-19 vaccine. During a news briefing, Cuomo anunced some of important details of a draft COVID-19 Vaccination Administration Program released by NYS Department of Health.

Cuomo’s office said in a statement that draft vaccination program is designed to be flexible. given many unkwns at this point in vaccine development process. It said that program accounts for multiple variables and scenarios regarding vaccine availability, timeline for vaccine approval, delineation of federal and state responsibilities, funding, supply chain needs, and allocation requirements. 

draft plan calls for five phases of vaccination program in which first two phases have been reserved for healthcare workers, most at-risk patients, fire responders, childcare providers, school staff, and or essential frontline workers in regular interaction with public. Health adults and children will be targeted in final phase of immunisation plan. Cuomo said that government has come up with a plan on many presumptions. 

“We don't kw how many doses we're going to get. We don't kw what vaccine we're going to get. We don't kw when we're going to get it...We will do it in concert with federal government,” Cuomo said in a statement.

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'More complicated task'

New York Goverr, who has been at loggerheads with federal government, stressed that states cant carry out program on ir own. He said that federal government is in charge of producing actual vaccine and distributing vaccines, adding that it is a larger operational undertaking than anything New York state government has done under COVID-19 measures.

“This is a more complicated undertaking and task. And we need federal government to be a competent partner with this state and with every state," he stated.

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