ALBANY, N.Y. — Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that New York State has administered 38,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, which his office says is the highest total in the nation.
The state expects to see 466,000 doses of the vaccine arrive in the next week, including 346,200 doses of the Moderna vaccine and 120,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine.
This comes on the same day the country has begun its vaccine program for nursing homes and long term care facilities, including 618 in New York. The program is expected to take six weeks.
The first round of vaccinations have gone to those at the greatest need, such as healthcare workers and those living or working in congregate living facilities for the elderly.
The state also announced a Vaccine Equity Task Force has been launched and a new program will send vaccination kits to communities that lack healthcare resources.
"We're now talking about who's getting vaccinated, and let me be clear: there is no politics in the vaccination process," Governor Cuomo said, in part.
The equity task force is meant to ensure that people in high risk or underserved communities will get the vaccine in an equitable fashion.
"This is entirely done by medical professionals and our hospitals have already vaccinated more people than any state in the nation," Cuomo added.
The Community Vaccination Kits, as the state is calling them, will contain the resources needed to run vaccination clinics in communities that may not normally have those resources, such as healthcare deserts and public housing. The kits contain everything from PPE and syringes to lighting and curtains.
The equity task force will be led by Secretary of State Rossana Rosado, Attorney General Letitia James, National Urban League President & CEO Marc Morial, and Healthfirst President & CEO Pat Wang, and will also include:
- Frederick Shack, CEO, Urban Pathways, Inc.
- Dr. Havidán Rodríguez, President, SUNY Albany
- Murad Awawdeh, Interim Co-Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition
- Dr. Henry Chen, President, SOMOS Community Care
- Phyllis Jackson, Founder and Executive Director, Interdenominational Health Ministry Coalition; Community Wellness Project Manager; Common Ground Health
- Guillermo Chacón, President, Latino Commission on AIDS and Founder, Hispanic Health Network
- George Gresham, President, 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East
- Ruth Hassell-Thompson, Special Advisor for Policy and Community Affairs, NYS Homes and Community Renewal
- Frankie Miranda, President and CEO, Hispanic Federation
- Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts, Pastor, Abyssinian Baptist Church
- Jo-Ann Yoo, Executive Director, Asian American Federation
- Dr. Hazel Dukes, President, NAACP New York State Conference
- Rev. Dr. W. Franklyn Richardson, Senior Pastor, Grace Baptist Church
- Judith Watson, CEO, Mount Vernon Neighborhood Health Center
- Dr. Rosa Gil, Founder, President and CEO, Comunilife, Inc.
- Dr. Wayne Riley, President, SUNY Downstate Medical Center; Chair, Board of Trustees, New York Academy of Medicine
- Danny Barber, Chair, NYCHA Citywide Council of Presidents; President, Jackson Houses Tenant Association
- Kyle Bragg, President, 32BJ SEIU
- Karim Camara, Executive Director and Deputy Commissioner, Governor's Office of Faith-Based Community Development Services
- Rev. Mark E. Blue, President, Buffalo Chapter NAACP