Local Governments Can Decide To Expand Vaccine Eligibility: Cuomo

NEW YORK — With additional vaccinations coming from the federal government, local municipalities can decide to expand vaccine eligibility to members of the 1B group, including restaurant workers, taxi drivers, and developmentally disabled facilities, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Tuesday.

He also announced plans to roll out a targeted mass vaccinations in communities where positivity rates remain highest.

On Day 339 of the coronavirus pandemic, New York's positivity rate stood at 5.47 percent, with a seven-day rolling positivity rate of 4.9 percent, Cuomo said.

A total of 146 deaths were reported over the past 24 hours, he said.

Long Island remains "problematic," Cuomo said, with the highest positivity rate in the state at 6.03 percent, he said.

With more than 2 million vaccinations administered to date, supply remains an issue; currently, 7.1 million individuals are eligible with New York State receiving only 300,000 dosages per week.

However, Cuomo said, the federal government has announced that it will increase state supply at 5 percent, or a total of 20 percent for three weeks, he said.

In addition, pharmacies will get an additional direct allocation from the federal government at 10 percent of the state allocation, or 30,000, Cuomo said.

With both local governments and pharmacies getting additional dosages, Cuomo said local governments will have the flexibility, depending on their unique circumstances, to add 1B priorities to expand vaccine eligibility to restaurant workers, taxi drivers, and members of developmentally disabled communities.

"I'm leaving it up to local governments to make a determination of what fits their situation best," Cuomo said. "We do have more vaccines now so there is more flexibility in the system."

Cuomo also announced that the state would be looking to target vaccinations by high priority zip codes and locations and embracing the micro-cluster strategy to roll out the plan, which aims to bring down positivity rates in those areas.

A trial will take place in the Bronx, using Yankee Stadium as a mass vaccination site, Cuomo said.

When asked about those with underlying health conditions — and specifically that Type 2 diabetics would be included before Type 1 in vaccine eligibility — Cuomo said that there are new staffers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under the new administration, who are evaluating all the issues and who should be included under the definition of "immune-compromised. That category can get large very, very quickly."

Cuomo said he could not speak to the differences between the Type 1 and Type 2 groups of diabetics but said that the group of those who are immune-compromised in New York State numbers 4 million. With 7.1 million now eligible and only 300,000 vaccinations per week available, if another 4 million are added, that would equal 11 million, out of a total of 15 million eligible for the vaccine statewide.

Availability remains the critical issue, he said.

"Eligibility without availability is illusory and counterproductive," Cuomo said, adding that widening the pool creates added anxiety as thousands jostle for appointments while the number of dosages arriving each week remains fixed.

If Johnson & Johnson could get emergency authorization use for its vaccination, that could be a game-changer, Cuomo said. The vaccine requires no cold storage and only a single dose.

But as it stands, "Without a significant increase in the supply, then it's all just posturing," Cuomo said.