Senator Gallivan Says EMS Must be a Priority of Vaccination Plan

Senator Patrick M. Gallivan (R-C-I, Elma) is calling on Governor Cuomo and the New York State Department of Health to include emergency medical services (EMS) personnel in the state's Phase 1a COVID-19 vaccination plan. EMS personnel are not currently included in the first tier of the distribution plan, which gives priority to ICU and emergency department health care staff, long term care workers and long term care patients.                                                                      

"New York's COVID-19 vaccination plan must prioritize the most vulnerable New Yorkers as well as essential health care workers," Senator Gallivan said.  "Front-line workers such as EMS ambulance personnel should be included in phase one of the vaccination plan as recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends emergency medical services personnel be included in Phase 1a distribution efforts.  This is consistent with the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) Framework for Equitable Allocation of COVID-19 Vaccines (2020) that prioritizes first responders, including ambulance emergency medical technicians (EMTs), paramedics, and personnel in Phase 1a of the vaccine allocation plan.  Both the CDC and the NAS concluded that paid and unpaid personnel serving in health care settings who have the potential for direct and indirect exposure to patients or infectious materials should be among the first to receive the vaccine.

In a letter to Governor Cuomo, Senator Gallivan urged the administration to prioritize EMS personnel in its final vaccination distribution plan.