NY faces COVID vaccine shortage as demand continues to outpace supply

Coronavirus update for NYC

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Monday, January 25, 2021

New York facing vaccine shortage as demand continues to outpace supply

The Javits Center is no longer taking appointments as the state is starting week six of their vaccination process.

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- The Javits Center is no longer taking appointments as the state is starting week six of their vaccination process.

It opened early Sunday morning, but then around 8 a.m. the Javits Center announced they are not taking any more appointments until further notice, along with several other state-run sites.

Other sites that are no longer taking appointments include Jones Beach - Field 3, State Fair Expo Center, SUNY Albany, Westchester County Center, SUNY Stony Brook University Innovation and Discovery Center, Aqueduct Racetrack - Racing Hall, SUNY Binghampton, SUNY Polytechnic Institute, University at Buffalo South Campus and Rochester Dome Arena.

SUNY Potsdam Field House and Plattsburgh International Airport still have appointments available.

While supply is limited, 240,000 doses are available and on their way to the state.

Governor Andrew Cuomo visited a senior center Saturday at a NYCHA complex in Brooklyn where more than 1,000 seniors received vaccines in four community locations.

On Sunday, in a virtual address delivered to three New York churches, Cuomo reassured all New Yorkers, particularly those in communities hardest hit by COVID-19, that the vaccine is safe and will save lives.

He also offered an update on the status of the state's vaccination program.

"As our week six allocation finishes arriving to providers today, New York has already administered 88 percent of its first doses, demonstrating once again that the problem we face is lack of supply from the federal government," Governor Cuomo said. "We have the operational capacity to do over 100,000 doses a day - we just need the dosages. In the meantime, the state will continue working around the clock to get shots into arms quickly, and providers must continue administering to their assigned priority populations in order to ensure equity of distribution during this time of limited supply."

This comes as city locations have closed and rescheduled appointments due to a supply shortage. Hospitals have also postponed first doses for some healthcare workers through Monday until they get more.

However, the governor says the state will continue bringing the vaccine to seniors in the cities hardest-hit neighborhoods.

So far more than half-a-million citywide have been vaccinated.

The state is now asking the federal government for permission to use second doses for in-storage as first doses.

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