32°
During a COVID-19 briefing on Friday, Jan. 8 in Albany, Cuomo said that it is imperative hospitals ramp up the administration of vaccines to doctors and nurses who could serve as super-spreaders if they contract the virus and inadvertently pass the infection to patients.
On Long Island, the state has identified 427,000 healthcare workers who are eligible to be vaccinated in Phase 1A, the most in New York behind only New York City’s 1.5 million employees.
Of the 427,000 healthcare workers, 57,384 (25 percent) have received the first dose of the vaccines allocated to Long Island, leaving 172,616 unvaccinated as of Jan. 8.
A breakdown of the Phase 1a population that has been vaccinated:
- New York City: 122,477 (13 percent);
- Long Island: 57,384 (25 percent);
- Western New York: 33,528 (23 percent);
- Finger Lakes: 33,070 (26 percent);
- Capital Region: 31,101 (29 percent);
- Central New York: 18,479 (24 percent);
- North Country: 13,960 (37 percent):
- Mohawk Valley: 13,547 (23 percent);
- Southern Tier: 13,435 (23 percent).
Cuomo said that for the state to reach herd immunity, 70 percent to 90 percent of the general population needs to be vaccinated for COVID-19. He made note that it’s even more important that the healthcare workers receive the vaccination at a clip no lower than between 70 percent and 80 percent.
During the first phase, 2.1 million healthcare employees in New York will need to be vaccinated, and as of Jan. 8, 479,000 (23 percent) doses have been administered, with 430,000 doses unused.
“The numbers are very low, and they’re nowhere near where we need to be,” he said. “Healthcare workers are the most informed, and we’re seeing doctors overwhelmingly taking the vaccination, while nurses are somewhere between 70 percent and 85 percent, depending on where you are.
“All throughout the state, we know who the healthcare are, where they live, and where they work,” Cuomo added. “You don't want a nurse who is COVID positive treating 100 patients a day," Cuomo added. "Healthcare workers can be super-spreaders, so we have to get those people vaccinated first."
Click here to follow Daily Voice Massapequa and receive free news updates.
