Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday announced an expanded list of people – including teachers and education workers – that will be eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine as it becomes more readily available.
The City School District of Albany is working with Capital Region BOCES, Albany County and the state to develop a coordinated plan for assisting with vaccinating district faculty and staff.
“As a district, we are encouraging our faculty and staff to get the vaccination,” Superintendent Kaweeda G. Adams said.
New York State has created a phased distribution plan; the state currently is in the first phase. Starting Monday, the expanded phase – 1b – includes:
- Teachers and education workers
- First responders
- Public safety workers
- Public transit workers
- People 75 and older
At this time, the vaccine is only approved for ages 18 and older. As information becomes available, the district will share it with faculty, staff and families.
The federal Food and Drug Administration has authorized two vaccines. The first, developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, was approved unanimously by New York State’s independent COVID-19 Clinical Advisory Task Force on Dec. 10 and formally authorized by the FDA on Dec. 11. The second, developed by Moderna, was authorized by the FDA and approved unanimously by the Clinical Advisory Task Force on Dec. 18.
As vaccine distribution is implemented, health officials urge every New Yorker to wear a mask, social distance, avoid small and large gatherings and practice healthy and safe hand hygiene.
