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On Sunday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo updated New Yorkers on the state’s progress during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
He said, “As we move into this New Year, one of our most pressing challenges, along with maintaining our diligence in stopping the spread of the virus, will be to ensure that the vaccine is made available fairly.” Cuomo explained, “COVID has exposed many of the existing injustices in our society, most notably that racism is, without a doubt, a public health crisis. Case and point – data has continued to show that despite higher infection and death rates in the Black and Latino communities, testing has remained more widely available in white communities. I refuse to let race or income determine who lives and who dies in New York, and I mean it. That’s why as we work to break down barriers and ensure vaccine access for all, I will not take the vaccine until it is available for my age group in Black, Hispanic, and poor communities around the state.”
The cumulative number of cases in New York since the start of the pandemic has now reached 1,017,153. The most recent figures include 1,166 additional cases in Nassau and 1,516 in Suffolk.
The vaccine is only available to health care professionals who are likely to come into contact with COVID-19 patients, nurses, and staff, as well as other target groups such as EMTs and EMS workers. It is unknown when the vaccines will be given to the general public.
In his message, Cuomo said while he understands the “cynicism and skepticism” around the vaccine, it is safe. He said his 89-year-old mother, Matilda, will get the vaccine along with his daughters when it becomes available to them.
“Until the vaccine is available in the South Bronx, and the East Side of Buffalo, and Wyandanch, and South Jamaica, and Edgerton and East Utica — our health care deserts — our job is not done,” Cuomo said. “I’ll do my part, but you have to do your part. We all need to have faith and trust in the vaccine, and we need to have generosity in our souls, where we act for the good of one another.”
According to the latest state statistics, the number of New Yorkers hospitalized with COVID-19 has increased to 7,963, and 138 people died from complications of the disease caused by the coronavirus.
On Saturday, the daily positivity rate for Long Island, based on 142,345 test results statewide, was 9.1%. The daily rate in Suffolk was 10.6%, with Nassau at 7.6%.
According to the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine Coronavirus Resource Center, 299,087 new cases of COVID-19 were registered on Sunday for a total of more than 20.4 million. The countries with the largest number of new cases are California, Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, and New York.
On Monday, Hospitals in Long Island are on the verge of beginning the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine to physicians, nurses, and other health care staff who got their initial shots in mid-December.
However, the state will broaden the first dose category to physicians, nurses, radiologists, physical therapists, and those who work directly with patients in outpatient settings.
The Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine requires two shots to be administered about 21 days apart, while the Moderna vaccine requires two shots given about 28 days apart.
As of Saturday, State officials said that New York has vaccinated about 274,000 people.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 13 million doses of vaccine have been distributed across the country, and 4.2 million people have received their first dose.
Rising COVID-19 numbers have led to some Long Island school districts announcing that they will go fully remote for a week starting Monday, including Patchogue-Medford, Sayville, South Huntington, and Huntington.
