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Cuomo: Free Vaccines For New Yorkers; NY Advancing $1.5B For Orgs

NEW YORK, NY — Insurers will be ordered to cover the costs of all coronavirus vaccinations in New York, and the second phase of vaccination — which includes essential workers and high-risk members of the general public — is expected to begin in late January, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Wednesday. Additionally, the state will advance $1.5 billion in funding to cash-strapped organizations amid a looming $15 billion statewide budget shortfall, he said.

Cuomo announced a new "one-stop" shop for coronavirus vaccination information that he said will help inform residents about when they can get inoculated. In doing so, he said no one in the state will "pay a penny" to be vaccinated.

"We want people to get vaccinated. It shouldn’t be about wealth," he said.




To do this, state finance officials will direct health insurers to fully cover any COVID-19 vaccination administration costs.

The state is also establishing regional vaccination hubs led by local hospital systems to coordinate the allocation of doses. Each hub will create a medical plan for its region for Phase Two and submit that plan the first week in January, Cuomo said.


Graphic courtesy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office.
Graphic courtesy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office.



Hub coordinators will work with city and county officials, as well as community health organizations to create a plan that meets the needs of that region. The state will then decided whether to approve the plan, and if so, will provide logistics, and support to help execute the plan.

On Long Island, Northwell Health will serve as the region's vaccination hub coordinator. GNYHA will serve as the coordinator for New York City and Westchester Medical center will assume the role for Mid-Hudson.

Cuomo noted the vaccination timeline for Phase Two could change depending on how quickly the federal government can distribute the doses to states.

Hospitals received a stern warning from the governor Wednesday, as Cuomo said incompetent hospital management could lead to license forfeiture. The state has repeatedly said hospital systems must begin working together to ensure they do not become overwhelmed.

The governor once again addressed the lack of federal aid and said he'd rather wait until February or March to do the state budget, which will likely include tax increases, cuts and some amount of federal funding. The state would advance up to $1.5 billion to organizations with cash flow problems, so they can survive until the budget is created.

Howard Zucker, the state health commissioner, on Wednesday issued a letter to hospital administrators detailing state directives surrounding adding hospital capacity. Hospitals were instructed to add 25 percent capacity by Dec. 7. By Dec. 11, they had either add another 25 percent or cancel elective surgeries. Both directives were part of the state's Surge and Flex strategy.


Coronavirus Numbers In New York

  • Statewide positive without micro-clusters: 5.86 percent

  • Overall statewide positivity with all micro-clusters: 6.21 percent

  • Positivity in only micro-clusters: 7.11 percent

  • Statewide deaths: 95

  • Statewide hospitalizations: 6,097 (+115)

  • Statewide ICU 1,098 (+33)

  • Statewide intubations: 611 (+31)


Graphic courtesy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office.
Graphic courtesy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office.

Graphic courtesy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office.
Graphic courtesy of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office.


This article originally appeared on the Long Island Patch