The federal government, together with manufacturers, is to expedite production and deliveries to the states, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo stated Tuesday, with a further 5 percent in COVID-19 vaccines for at least three weeks.
He said the latter growth is “significant” and “helpful” but “not proportionate to the need” noting the recent rises of 16 percent and 5 percent.
The reporter Cuomo, after a phone meeting with the White House and the National Governor’s Association, said, is now waiting for 10 million New Yorkers on 300,000 doses every week.
The exact dose level expected did not be specified by Cuomo and state officers, although the new increase should begin next week.
Cuomo further said that the state will soon be able to restructure unused doses of vaccines for nursing homes that are no longer necessary for this effort.
The White House on Tuesday announced that vaccine doses will be transmitted directly from February 15 to US federal health centres. It will start with one FQHC in each country and expand to 250.
“A big question on the call with the White House coordinator by the governors is supply, supply, supply,” Cuomo said.
The head of one FQHC Long Island organisation called it “great” news.
“If we can take them directly from the federal government, it’s incredible,” said David Nemiroff, president and CEO of Long Island FQHC in Westerland.
He said he did not take a single dose of his patients, Nemiroff, whose group is heading up FQHCs in communities, including Hempstead, Roosevelt, Freeport, Westbury, Elmont, Oceanside and New Cassel.
By Feb. 15, his group will have 28,000 people eligible for shooting with the inclusion of people with co-morbidities or at greater risk for health concerns. He said that most of the patients in the group come from minority groups below the federal poverty line.
In its first weeks in office, President JOE Biden’s administration stepped up distribution, but was limited to how much the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccine producers could produce.
Cuomo stated that his hopes are being based on Johnson & Johnson’s authorization of a third vaccine option.
