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First Covid-19 vaccine is here



Find the facts on a new website launched by NYS

Find the facts on Covid vaccine from NYS


New York launched a new website about the COVID-19 vaccine with everything you need to know. It provides New Yorkers with a one-stop location for accurate and up to date information on the vaccine, safety, distribution priorities and more. On the site, New Yorkers can find general information about the vaccine, a detailed Frequently Asked Questions section that provides facts about the vaccine's safety and efficacy, and other questions you may have.

At 9:14 AM on December 14th, ICU nurse Sandra Lindsay received the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine. She was the first New Yorker to be inoculated. Lindsay works at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens. The institution has seen over 100,000 Covid-19 cases since March. The moment was captured on film and widely broadcast.

In the ensuing days, inoculations have been administered to high-risk hospital workers (emergency room workers, ICU staff and Pulmonary Department staff), nursing home residents, nursing home staff, all long-term and congregate care residents and staff, EMS workers, other health care workers, coroners and medical examiners.

READ MORE: Are you a vaccine skeptic?

170,000 doses of this vaccine have arrived in New York State. Additional doses will follow later this month. 21,720 people already received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine as part of the Phase 3 trials that tested its efficacy. (Of those, there were only eight Covid-19 cases, with 162 cases among those who received a placebo.)

The Vaccine Distribution and Implementation Task Force is comprised of experts in public health, immunization, government operations, data management and vaccine distribution and administration. This task force will advise the set up and operation of the state’s Covid-19 vaccination program.

The NYS Department of Health, the CDC, and the FDA strongly advise: while the vaccination process is underway, all New Yorkers should wear masks, practice social distancing, and avoid small and large gatherings.



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