COVID-19 Voluntary Vaccination Update

Dear COBA Members;

The Union has been in constant contact with County Officials regarding the timeline for when COBA Members will be eligible to receive Voluntary COVID Vaccinations.

As per guidelines established and administered by New York State, the layout of the phases of distribution are as follows:

Phase 1 Vaccine Recipients are: Frontline Health and Hospital Workers, Emergency Medical Technicians, Workers and Patients in Long Term Care Facilities, Medical Examiners/Coroners and Funeral Service Workers who are in direct contact with potentially infectious biologic materials.

Phase 2 Vaccine Recipients are: First Responders, Corrections, Police, Fire, National Guard, Other Public Health Care Workers, Pharmacists, Teachers, Transit Workers etc.

Phase 3 Vaccine Recipients are: individuals over age 65 and those with high risk health conditions.

Phase 4 Other Essential Workers

Phase 5 Healthy Adults and Children

Nassau County is currently in Phase 1 of vaccine distribution.

It is our understanding that Phase 2 which includes us in Corrections is slated to begin mid-January. This is also predicated upon the delivery and availability of the vaccine, which we are told is not anticipated to be an issue.

You may have seen on the news yesterday, our favorite Governor threw County Exec Curran and NUMC under the bus for failing to adequately and expeditiously rollout the vaccine in current Phase 1.

We have been hearing for a few weeks that the State has blamed everyone from the Federal Government to local municipalities for delays and failures to get the program rolling out adequately. The Governor has also threatened publicly to withhold vaccines from First Responders and other Essential Workers until in his words "under served communities" get the vaccine first.

While COBA fully believes that all New Yorkers should have equitable access to these vaccines to stop the spread of this deadly disease, the Governor certainly cannot play Russian Roullete with the lives of First Responders who are dealing directly with the disease face to face.

It appears that so far, this has only been a political talking point for the Governor and has not become a reality, and the phased rollout of the vaccine is moving along.

COBA will keep you updated once we have received notice of the commencement of Phase 2 and where and when we will be able to take part in the voluntary vaccine protocol.

Always In Unity;

Brian Sullivan, COBA President