New York to Receive First Batch of COVID-19 Vaccines by December 15th

New York expects it will receive Pfezier coronavirus vaccines by December 15th, Governor Cuomo announced on Wednesday.

There will be enough vaccine doses for 170,000 New Yorkers. The state will prioritize nursing home residents and their staff. Healthcare workers, especially those who work in hospitals, will be the next group.

“I’ll be the first person to stand up and take the vaccine,” said Cuomo, promising the vaccine will only be approved after scientists and doctors ensure it is safe.

People can decline receiving the vaccine.

Additional Pfezier doses, and the Moderna vaccine, are expected to continue to be distributed throughout 2021. The Moderna shipment, expected within the next two weeks, would be 40,000 doses.

“The goal line is in sight,” said Cuomo. “And the goal line is a vaccine that we administer that people accept. That could happen as early as June, could happen as late as September.”

He warned New Yorkers that they cannot let down their guard, even as vaccines are only weeks away. Cuomo noted that coronavirus cases have been steadily rising, and urged citizens to take the necessary precautions and avoid gatherings.

Even intimate family gatherings can cause more infections, something Cuomo described as “living room spread.” New York state’s contact tracing data indicates as many as 70% of recent coronavirus cases were caused by small gatherings of friends and households.

The virus is now literally spreading in households,” Cuomo said. “I know you may think, ‘I’m in my house with my family and with my friends so this is my safe zone,’ but that just is simply not the case anymore. As we move forward into the winter, addressing living room spread will be one of the biggest challenges in the fight against COVID-19.”

The statewide positivity rate, according to state data, is 4.63%. There are currently 3,924 people in the hospital with COVID-19, a sharp increase over two weeks.

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smarcus@hamodia.com