5 December 2020: NY Nursing Homes Getting Set for Trump Operation Warp Speed Vaccinations

How NYC nursing homes are preparing for vaccine distribution

This article revisits statements made by Governor Cuomo prior to his administration's implementation of its 25 March 2020 directive forcing nursing homes to admit coronavirus patients without knowing whether they were still contagious:

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo famously described COVID-19 in nursing homes as “like fire through dry grass.”

That's why there is such relief that nursing homes are at the top of the list for getting the Pfizer vaccine in mid-December.

“I can’t begin to tell you what a relief it is that there is a date on the calendar that this pandemic is going to be over,” Scott LaRue, the president of ArchCare, told PIX11 News.

And for the residents of Mary Manning Walsh and five other nursing homes run by the New York Catholic archdiocese, the date is Wednesday, Dec. 16. That’s when the first dose of the Pfizer vaccine is expected to be distributed to 1,700 Archcare residents and their 3,000 caregivers, pending final FDA approval.

And Scott LaRue is so pleased that the infrastructure is in place for a seamless, on-site distribution.

“Our pharmacy that serves our nursing homes was actually selected in addition to Walgreens and CVS as one of the distribution centers for the vaccine.,” LaRue told PIX11 News.

Nice to have some positive COVID-related nursing home news from New York for a change!