March 1, 2021: Update on COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

Dear Colleagues,

As you may have heard, over the weekend the FDA authorized the emergency use of the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccine for individuals 18 and older. This was followed by the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) recommendation and endorsement of this one-dose 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.

Vaccinations will continue on March 2nd.

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

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 8 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 be 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 thevaccine. 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:

I am a frontline healthcare worker and would like to get vaccinated. Where do I go? Do I need an appointment?

All first doses are now administered at the Armory location in Washington Heights. There is no scheduling for first doses, and frontline health care workers can walk in without an appointment during regular hours of operation.

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