February 26, 2021: Update on COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

Dear Colleagues,

Vaccinations are continuing today, February 26th.

The Armory site is open for scheduled appointments, as well as for CUIMC employees as below.

We wanted to share a few links with you including some upcoming live sessions.

  • Community Immunity: A Rap Anthology about Vaccines, featuring Grammy award-winning rapper Darryl DMC McDaniels of Run-DMC, aims to increase COVID-19 vaccine coverage in communities of color. This series was created by Hip Hop Public Health, a community outreach organization founded by Columbia neurologist and member of our committee Olajide Williams, MD.
  • Today February 26th, the FDA’s Vaccines and Related Biological Products Advisory Committee will meet in open session to discuss the emergency use authorization of the Janssen/Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
  • On Sunday February 28th and Monday March 1st, CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will have an emergency meeting about the Janssen/Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.
  • On Tuesday March 2nd, CDC will hold a conference call for clinicians, “What Clinicians Need to Know About the Janssen COVID-19 Vaccine.” CDC experts will discuss the vaccine’s characteristics and administration, vaccinating special populations, contraindications, and more. Zoom and dial in instructions are here.

CUIMC Employees

  • First doses: Employees of Columbia, Weill Cornell and NYP who are in category 1a (patient facing) now receive the first dose of the vaccine at the Armory at the hours posted here COVID Vaccine Information page.
  • Second doses of the Pfizer vaccine: CUIMC employees may go to the Armory for second dose Pfizer vaccinations during hours of operation, Tuesday – Saturday, 7 am to 9 pm.
  • All faculty and staff age 65 or older are eligible to get their first dose at any of the NYC or NYS public vaccination sites, or at the Armory as long as they are NYC residents.
  • Faculty and staff with eligible medical conditions are eligible to get their first dose at any of the NYC or NYS public vaccination sites or at the Armory through their regular appointment system if they reside in NYC, when appointments become available. Appointment information will updated on the VaccineTogetherNY website.

Patient and Community Vaccinations at the Armory

  • All persons age 18 and over with certain underlying chronic medical conditions are eligible to receive the vaccine. Please click here for more information. The Armory began vaccinating patients in this category starting on February 23. Letters were sent to Columbia, NYP and Weill Cornell patients. Information is updated as it becomes available on the VaccineTogetherNY website.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

The FAQ documents on the CUIMC COVID Vaccine Information page continue to be updated, so please check the site for the latest versions.

As of today, over 47,000 faculty, staff, and students at NewYork-Presbyterian, Weill Cornell, and Columbia have received their first dose of the vaccine and more than 41,000 have received second doses. This includes over 30,000 first and second doses administered on the CUIMC campus alone.

Below is the Question of the Day:

Can an inpatient get a COVID vaccine?

At NYP, COVID-19 vaccinations are currently only being administered to patients at the 168th Street Armory. Based on limited vaccine supply, New York State has prioritized vaccination at mass vaccination sites where vaccine can be administered most efficiently to the largest number of eligible individuals. Subacute and long-term nursing facilities have processes in place to provide vaccination to their residents as well.

Thank you and stay safe!

Magda Sobieszczyk MD, MPH
Chief of Infectious Diseases and Co-Chair of the CUIMC COVID-19 Vaccine Committee

Melissa Stockwell MD, MPH
Chief of the Division of Child and Adolescent Health and Co-Chair of the CUIMC COVID-19 Vaccine Committee