New York City to receive 72,000 doses of Pfizer COVID vaccine in initial shipment

New York City will receive 72,000 doses of Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine as part of the state’s initial shipment, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced in a Wednesday briefing.

Long Island will receive 26,500 doses and the Mid-Hudson region will receive 19,200 doses, he said. The regional allocations have been determined by the number of health care workers and nursing home residents and workers, who will be prioritized for the vaccine, Cuomo added.

On Thursday, Pfizer’s vaccine is expected to receive its emergency-use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration, and the state’s review panel will convene to assess the authorization for local use, the governor said.

All hospitals in the state will have access to the vaccine regardless of cold-storage capabilities. New York has set up 90 regional distribution centers statewide.

Pfizer’s vaccine is to be delivered in two doses 21 days apart. The state is expecting delivery of the first dose for 170,000 people as soon as this weekend, Cuomo said. That date is slightly ahead of the Dec. 15 target date announced by the governor on Dec. 2. The military and private companies such as FedEx will deliver the vaccine, he added.

The governor anticipates that by two weeks after the initial wave of vaccinations, all high-risk hospital workers—defined as emergency room, intensive care unit and pulmonary staff—totaling about 90,000 people will have received the vaccine.

Nursing home resident and worker vaccinations will be administered as part of a federal program. The state will dedicate part of its initial vaccine allocation to the program to cover all nursing home residents, the governor said. Companies such as CVS and Walgreen will administer the vaccine in nursing homes, as was done with flu vaccinations.