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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo said on Monday, Feb. 1 that the total week six allocation has been delivered to providers, bringing the total to 1,554,450 first doses distributed, with 1,393,064 (90 percent) of them administered. A total of 75 percent of second doses have also been administered, completing the vaccination.
Cuomo noted that the next allocation from the federal government is not expected until the middle of the week.
Over the weekend, Cuomo announced the demographic data of hospital workers in the 1A eligibility group who were offered and accepted the vaccine.
The demographic breakdown of the eligible 1A population:
- 70 percent white;
- 17 percent African American;
- 8 percent Hispanic or Latino;
- 11 percent Asian.
Of the total 1A eligible population:
- 63 percent of vaccine recipients were white;
- 10 percent of vaccine recipients were African American;
- 10 percent of vaccine recipients were Hispanic or Latino;
- 16 percent of vaccine recipients were Asian.
In the Hudson Valley, the region has received a total of 219,420 doses, with 144,699 administered. The 66 percent of vaccines administered is among the lowest percentage in the state.
- Central New York: 108,865 doses received - 104,984 doses administered - 96 percent;
- Finger Lakes: 136,255 - 113,098 - 83 percent;
- Capital Region: 137,840 - 114,685 - 83 percent;
- Western New York: 157,915 - 128,896 - 82 percent;
- Long Island - 288,360 - 212,802 - 74 percent;
- New York City: 1,040,800 - 757,044 - 73 percent;
- Southern Tier: 67,835 - 47,274 - 70 percent;
- Hudson Valley: 219,420 - 144,699 - 66 percent;
- North Country: 62,350 - 41,358 - 66 percent;
- Mohawk Valley: 59,860 - 35,922 - 60 percent.
"We know the vaccine is the weapon that ends the war. That's why New York has built a vast infrastructure of providers and pop-up sites to get shots in arms quickly and fairly on a massive scale. The only problem - we don't have nearly enough supply," New York Gov. Cuomo said.
New York has been receiving between 250,000 and 300,000 doses weekly, with second doses already protected and set aside by the federal government for those 93 percent who have received the first.
"We're locked in a footrace between the spread of COVID and the vaccine's quick distribution, and New Yorkers should stay vigilant as we work to get more shots in arms," Cuomo said. "We have a robust distribution network at the ready, but we need more doses to kick our vaccination effort into overdrive and reach more New Yorkers.
"New Yorkers should be commended for the hard work and discipline they've shown beating back COVID by practicing the basic daily behaviors that help us stop the virus in its tracks," he continued. "The good news is the holiday spike is over and the experts say that we're on a downward trajectory—we just need to put in the work to keep it that way."
Cuomo has said that the issues with the vaccination aren’t in the execution, it’s due to the lack of supply. During a COVID-19 briefing this week, the governor said that if he deployed the National Guard to mass vaccination sites, they could do approximately 10,000 vaccines daily at each site, and millions statewide if the supply increases.
The governor made note that production of the vaccine alone will take six to nine months. In the meantime, we will continue to distribute the supply we do get quickly and fairly as we have from the start."
"The entirety of our week seven allocation was delivered to providers yesterday and already New York has administered 90 percent of its first doses while prioritizing fairness and equity," he said. "Week after week we exhaust our vaccine supply and are basically left waiting for the next week's delivery.
"This is not unique to New York, it's happening in states across the nation because the previous administration grossly mismanaged and politicized the vaccine distribution process from the beginning by not ordering enough vaccines from manufacturers," Cuomo added. "With new leadership in Washington, the light at the end of the tunnel is in sight but we must manage our expectations.
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