New York City was supposed to have received 368,650 doses of COVID-19 vaccine by New Year’s day, according to Governor Andrew Cuomo. At a news conference during the last week of December he said, “They will not necessarily have been administered. But they will have been delivered.”

So where are those COVID-19 vaccine doses and who gets them? Nobody in the city seems to know the answer as of the first weekend of the new year.

The latest from Cuomo as of January 2 is that,
“The state is working around the clock with the medical community to not only ensure vaccines are distributed as quickly and efficiently as possible, but to also continue growing bed capacity so hospitals do not become overwhelmed.”

Mayor Bill de Blasio said he wants to vaccinate as many New Yorkers as possible and set a target of one million vaccinations by the end of January.

But the vaccination roll-out seems to have taken the weekend off while COVID-19 cases are going up. On January 1, 2021, the state-wide positivity rate was 7.52 percent and the city was at 5.85 percent. 

Cuomo said that 140,000 doses of the vaccine were administered as of Monday, December 28, 2020.

So what’s the hold-up?

In New York City, the mayor apparently needs authorization from the federal government and the state to give the vaccine to people beyond first responders and healthcare workers. As for administering one million shots by the end of January, “We are doing everything we can . . . but to really pick up the pace, we need our federal and state partners on board—and fast. It will be tough, but I believe that we can do it, ” he said on New Year’s Eve.

That leaves us wondering where and when a widespread vaccine roll-out will take place.  The mayor’s press release laid out some priorities.

1.  First vaccinations will go to people who work in health care and are at increased risk of getting COVID-19. This includes people who take care of COVID-19 patients or work in areas of a facility where COVID-19 patients are seen.

2.  First responders and nursing home residents and staff.

After that group, essential workers.

3.  Essential workers who interact with the public and who are not able to physically distance, along with people at higher risk of complications from COVID-19 because of age (75 and over) or underlying medical conditions

4.  Then the rest of New Yorkers when enough vaccine doses are available

Who will administer the vaccine remains a question.

The mayor’s press release said, “You will likely be able to get the vaccine at the same places you usually get vaccines, such as:  Your health care provider; Community and hospital clinics; Pharmacies; Urgent care centers.  Some COVID-19 testing sites and community pop-up locations may also provide vaccinations.”

CVS is administering vaccines in nursing homes. But when we called our local CVS a recording told us, “The COVID-19 vaccine is not currently available at CVS locations. Please visit CVS.com to get the latest vaccine news and updates.”

We reached out the offices of the mayor and governor to try to get clarification.