The NYS Department of Health has released a draft COVID-19 Vaccination Administration Program that serves as an initial framework for ensuring the safe and effective distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine in New York.

"The draft program was developed in consultation with leading clinical and public health experts, and requires collaboration and partnership with local departments of health, community partners and organizations, and the federal government," according to a release from Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office.

"We are coming up with a plan on many presumptions. We don't know how many doses we're going to get. We don't know what vaccine we're going to get. We don't know when we're going to get it. The state will have a statewide vaccination plan. We will do it in concert with the federal government. The federal government is in charge of producing the actual vaccine and distributing the vaccines," said Cuomo. "States cannot do this on their own. Period. This is a massive undertaking. This is a larger operational undertaking than anything we have done under COVID to date. This is a more complicated undertaking and task. And we need the federal government to be a competent partner with this state and with every state."

Following the determination that the vaccine is safe and effective, the draft Vaccination Program prioritizes vaccination recipients based on science, clinical expertise, and public health. The plan puts forward the following proposed prioritization matrix to ensure those most at risk and essential workers are priority recipients, with particular attention paid to those living in communities with highest COVID prevalence.

Phase 1

Healthcare workers (clinical and non-clinical) in patient care settings (ICU, ED, EMS top priority)

Long-term care facility workers who regularly interact with residents

Most at-risk long-term care facility patients

Phase 2

First responders (fire, police, national guard)

Teachers/school staff (in-person instructions), childcare providers

Public Health workers

Other essential frontline workers that regularly interact with public (pharmacists, grocery store workers, transit employees, etc.) or maintain critical infrastructure

Other long-term care facility patients and those living in other congregate settings

Individuals in general population deemed particularly high risk due to comorbidities and health conditions

Phase 3

Individuals over 65

Individuals under 65 with high-risk

Phase 4

All other essential workers

Phase 5

Healthy adults and children