You are reading

New York to Get Shipment of 170,000 Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine by Dec. 15: Cuomo

(Photo by National Cancer Institute on Unsplash)

Dec. 2, 2020 By Allie Griffin

New York will receive its first shipment of the COVID-19 vaccination by mid-December, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday.

New York State is expected to receive 170,000 doses of the vaccine — developed by Pfizer — from the federal government by Dec. 15, Cuomo said.

“We expect, if all safety and efficacy approvals are granted, those doses will arrive on December 15,” he said at an Albany press conference.

The first batch of vaccinations — once federally approved — will be given to nursing home residents and staff.

The vaccine is 95 percent effective, Pfizer reported.

Each person who receives the coronavirus vaccination will need two shots. Three weeks after the first Pfizer shipment, New York will receive another 170,000 doses that will be given to the same people as their second shot, Cuomo said.

A shipment of the competing Moderna vaccination — which is reportedly 94.5 percent effective — is expected later this month. The number of doses included in that shipment to New York is still unknown.

Nursing home residents and staff — a combined 210,000 people across New York — will also be prioritized for the Moderna vaccine.

Cuomo said the first shipments of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be enough to vaccinate nearly all of the state’s nursing home population, including staff — given that some people will refuse to get the shot.

The state is following CDC guidelines on how to prioritize the coronavirus vaccine distribution, he added.

Elderly people, like those in nursing homes, are at a higher risk of complications and death from COVID-19.

In fact, those 65 and older were urged to stay home except for medical and essential reasons in an advisory the NYC Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi issued on Tuesday. The advisory also applies to those with underlying health conditions.

The next batch of coronavirus vaccinations will go to healthcare workers, specifically those who work in the emergency room and intensive care units, Cuomo said.

email the author: [email protected]
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Little Neck-Douglaston Memorial Day Parade honors fallen heroes

May. 30, 2023 By Gabriele Holtermann

Rain or shine, the Little Neck-Douglaston Memorial Day Parade, touted as the largest Memorial Day parade in the United States, has been a staple of the quaint Queens neighborhoods since 1927. Thousands lined the parade route under clear blue sky along Northern Boulevard from Jayson Avenue in Great Neck to 245th Street in Douglaston on May 29 to honor the brave men and women who answered their call to service and made the ultimate sacrifice while defending their country.

New York Hall of Science awarded federal funding for project on artificial intelligence

New York Hall of Science (NYSCI) will play a key role in the future of artificial and natural intelligence after U.S. Rep. Grace Meng announced that the institution in Flushing Meadows Corona Park has been awarded nearly a half-million dollars in federal funding from the National Science Foundation over the next five years.

NYSCI will be part of a $20 million initiative led by Columbia University to establish an AI Institute for Artificial and Natural Intelligence (ARNI), an interdisciplinary center that will bring together several top research institutions to focus on a national priority: connecting the major progress made in AI systems to the revolution in understanding the brain.