Putnam Hospital Slow To Vaccinate Workers: Cuomo

PUTNAM COUNTY, NY — New York's hospitals that have been slow to get their workers vaccinated, including Putnam Hospital Center, have one last week before state health officials take back unused doses, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced at his coronavirus briefing Monday.

Comparing how hospitals across the state have handled the assignment since the vaccination program began eight weeks ago, Putnam Hospital was one of the lowest with 56.4 percent of workers vaccinated, according to state health department data.

Statewide, 75 percent of frontline hospital workers have been vaccinated, with counties in some regions reporting better than 90 percent vaccination rates at local hospitals. In the Hudson region, hospitals in five of the seven counties are at or above the average.

In response, the hospital issued a statement from Chief Nursing Officer Christina McCulloch:

Putnam Hospital has vaccinated thousands of our healthcare workers following state guidelines for prioritization and distribution. Like all other health systems and hospitals in New York State and beyond, we take this role seriously and are encouraging and educating our frontline staff to get vaccinated when we have available supply allotted to us by New York State. We are grateful for the opportunity to put vaccines into as many eligible arms as are willing. We have used the vaccines as quickly as we can schedule eligible recipients.

At his briefing, Cuomo said state health officials were going to review the hospitals with the lowest vaccination rates. In addition, at the end of the week unused doses at those hospitals will be redistributed elsewhere, he said.

"We're going to take the excess allocation and use it for people with comorbidities," he said. SEE: Vaccinations For People With Underlying Conditions Outlined

Even after next week, hospital workers who change their minds and choose to be vaccinated will still be given the opportunity, he said.