This story was reported by Matthew Chayes, Candice Ferrette and Bart Jones. It was written by Jones.
The latest incarnation of the house that Ruth Built took on Friday had a new and unimaginable mission: it serves as a mass vaccination site to vaccinate residents of the hard-hit Bronx against the deadly COVID-19 virus, such as Governor Andrew M. Cuomo also announced that the fitness for shots will be extended to people who have suffered the most due to health conditions.
Former Yankees pitcher Mariano Rivera, who joined Cuomo during a live briefing, summed up the new mission at Yankee Stadium: ‘I was blowing up here and saving games. It’s about saving lives now. ‘
“Hope is now the name of the game,” the Hall of Famer added, as hundreds of Bronx residents lined up to enter the stadium and get their shot.
Cuomo also announced that from February 15, the state will expand the vaccination campaign to offer the shots to people with comorbidities or health conditions that put them at a higher risk of death from the coronavirus.
“We’re going to open it up to people with comorbidities … The priority is to reach people who have the greatest risk or need during this period,” Cuomo said.
The conditions that people may consider eligible for the shots include cancer, chronic kidney disease, lung disease, intellectual and developmental disabilities, heart disease, immune deficiency, severe obesity, pregnancy, sickle cell disease or thalassemia, type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus, cerebrovascular disease, neurological conditions and liver disease. (See the list below.)
“New Yorkers with comorbidities and underlying conditions exist in the entire population of the state – they are our teachers, lawyers and carpenters, in addition to the doctors who keep us safe every day, and they are a population that is greatly affected,” Cuomo said.
The opening at Yankee Stadium is part of Cuomo’s campaign to target areas with the highest levels of COVID-19 infections, and to persuade more Blacks and Latinos to get the vaccine. He said Friday that the groups, among those hardest hit by the virus, are also among the most resistant to taking the vaccine.
Yankees manager Aaron Boone said, “This is an exciting day in the Bronx.” The Yankees Stadium was “hosting many, many special opening days, and I would say it’s the most special opening day. ‘
Randy Levine, president of the Yankees, said the team will be offering Yankees trinkets to people who get shots in the stadium as a way to encourage greater participation. Only Bronx residents can be vaccinated there.
“This stadium is historic. It’s built into the city and the Bronx structure,” he said. ‘We’re part of the Bronx community. And it’s bigger than baseball. ‘
Levine said he wishes Cuomo could see the smiles on the faces of people in the stadium. “It’s hope – we’re coming to the end of this,” he said.
Cuomo also announced the opening of short-term ‘pop-up’ vaccination sites at churches, housing projects and community centers to try to target afflicted populations. Two opened this week for a day at a mosque in Westbury and a Roman Catholic church in Hampton Bays.
The original Yankee Stadium where Ruth played was closed in 2008 and a new stadium opened in 2009. The original was demolished in 2010.
Target ‘key factors’ with vaccine
In announcing comorbidities, Cuomo said 94% of the people who died from COVID-19 were identified as comorbidities or other conditions, making them a priority in expanding the vaccination effort.
“Comorbidities and age are the most important factors” in the death toll from COVID-19, Cuomo added, saying the state regularly hears from other groups wanting access to the shots: “Why don’t we do this group? Why don’t we “Do we do this group? You do every group in the state when you do people with illnesses.”
While Cuomo said his government was clearing up a number of questions about health conditions that would be considered a conspiracy for the shots, he said the state would largely follow the lead of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.
“We are committed to vaccinating vulnerable populations that have suffered the most, because we distribute a strictly limited amount of vaccines, and people with comorbidity account for 94 percent of COVID deaths in the state,” Cuomo said.
The vaccination campaign will be extended to more people because the state reached an important threshold from Thursday to administer 75% of the hospital workers, Cuomo said. It comes within the level of immunity against the virus that the state is targeting to prevent outbreaks.
From Feb. 15, he said, the state will allocate the majority of the vaccine set aside for hospital workers in the Phase 1A group to local health departments so the shots can be given to people with illnesses.
Cuomo said 39% of New Yorkers are reluctant to take the vaccine, but that percentages vary widely between ethnic groups.
About 78% of whites say they will take vaccination when available, but only 39% of Blacks, 54% of Hispanics and 54% of Asians.
Rivera, who was born in Panama, said at the Yankee Stadium on Friday afternoon that he was standing in line to partially shoot to show people that it was safe, and also encouraged them to do so.
“It’s time now to support you and let you know that it’s okay to be vaccinated. I’m online. When it’s my turn, I’m going to get it,” he said.
Cuomo tweeted an announcement in Spanish over the shots in the stadium. The Bronx has a large Spanish population.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, a recognized Red Sox fan, took 13,000 of the 15,000 available appointments early Friday afternoon.
Cuomo said infection levels were still falling across the country, although he was calling Long Island again because he was among the highest levels of hospitalization and positivity.
The daily percentage of positive statistics from the test results on Thursday was 4.31% – the lowest level since 28 November.
The seven-day average for Long Island was 5.56%, which has continued a steady decline since an increase over the holiday period. The number of newly confirmed cases was 757 in Nassau County, 771 in Suffolk County, and 3,883 in New York City.
The number of people hospitalized with the virus across the country dropped by 30 to 7,937. A total of 153 people died Thursday from COVID-19 causes.
Cuomo said 15 new cases of the ‘British variant’ of the virus, considered more contagious, had been confirmed for a total of 59 in the state.
Caution encouraged on Super Bowl Sunday
Nassau Province chief executive Laura Curran made a hopeful remark on Friday when she announced the positive percentage of the province’s “good news” was below 5% with cases and hospitalizations gradually declining.
She showed a cautious tone and warned residents to take social measures at Super Bowl Sunday.
“I think we were concerned when we saw the numbers go up and everyone jumped in – all the things we know do – to help reduce the spread of this virus,” Curran said during her daily briefing outside the Yes. said. , We Can Community Center in Westbury.
She said the distribution of vaccines is going well, despite the number of people still eligible for whom there are no doses yet.
In the two vaccination sites managed by the country, only essential workers in category 1B are eligible for shots, including teachers.
By the end of the week, Curran had vaccinated 2,500 teachers and other school staff in Nassau’s vaccines.
“If we can not get every teacher in Nassau County, we will get as much as we can get, just as we did with law enforcement, fire services and grocery stores,” Curran said.
As Super Bowl approached Sunday, Cuomo encouraged people to party safely, avoid crowds and hold gatherings for immediate family members.
“The numbers are still declining after our boom after the holidays, but we are not out of the woods yet,” he said. “As we work to get human shots into the arms as quickly as possible, it is now more important than ever that we keep this downward trend going and still wear a mask and social distance.”
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QUALIFICATION OF HEALTH CONDITIONS FOR VACCINE
New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo has announced that the state will add people at risk for severe coronavirus disease due to underlying conditions or comorbidities to the vaccination stages. From 15 February, adults of any age who are at increased risk due to the following conditions can receive the COVID-19 vaccine:
- Cancer, current or in remission (including 9/11 related cancers).
- Chronic kidney disease.
- Lung disease, including but not limited to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma (moderate to severe), pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, and 9/11-related lung disease.
- Intellectual and developmental disabilities, including Down syndrome.
- Heart conditions, including but not limited to heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, or hypertension (high blood pressure).
- Immuno-compromised states (weakened immune system) including but not limited to solid organ transplantation or blood or bone marrow transplantation, immune deficiencies, HIV, corticosteroid use, use of other immunosuppressive drugs, or other causes.
- Severe obesity (body mass index, or BMI, of 40 kg / m2), obesity (BMI of 30 kg / m2 or higher, but below 40 kg / m2).
- Pregnancy.
- Sickle cell disease or thalassemia.
- Diabetes mellitus, type 1 or 2.
- Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain).
- Neurological conditions, including but not limited to Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
- Liver disease.
Other eligible population groups can be found in the phased distribution guidelines of the state.
SOURCE: New York State.