CT begins nursing home distribution; FDNY EMS, NYPD set to get COVID-19 vaccine

Coronavirus update

ByDiana Rocco, Eyewitness News WABC logo

Friday, December 18, 2020

Marcus Solis has the latest as Connecticut begins vaccinating workers and patients at fivenursing homes against COVID on Friday.

NEW YORK (WABC) -- Connecticut began vaccinating workers and patients at five nursing homes against OOVID-19 Friday, with Governor Ned Lamont on hand in the Hartford area for the event.

More than 3,000 nursing home residents in the state have died from the coronavirus.

The first case was diagnosed back on March 18, nine months to the day from when these first seniors are now being vaccinated.

"We were hit hard, and our nursing homes were hit hard, the parents, and grandparents, and friends we knew here were hit hard," Lamont said. "We had more infections, we had more complications, we had more people going into the hospital, and we had more fatalities."

Connecticut is one of the first four states in the nation and the first in our region to distribute the vaccine to nursing homes. The rest of the nation, including New York, will roll out vaccines to nursing home workers and residents on Monday.

In New York City, first responders in the FDNY, starting with EMS, will be the next to get the vaccine for those who want it, followed by the NYPD two weeks from now.

As it remains a voluntary process, only about half of the FDNY members said they have interest in being vaccinated.

The police union is also against mandatory vaccination.

An FDA panel on Thursday recommended the Moderna vaccine for emergency use authorization, and the FDA's approval is set to come next.

Nearly six million doses could be shipped out as early as this weekend, and some of the logistical challenges will lessen due to the fact that the Moderna vaccine can be kept in a regular freezer.

Pfizer's required a complicated shipping process for ultra-cold storage.

On Friday, Vice President Mike Pence received a vaccine in a live televised event.