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• Overview
• Trainings
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Overview

Become a vaccinator!

New York State is encouraging eligible New Yorkers to take the required trainings to become vaccinators and support the State’s COVID-19 vaccination program.

Governor Cuomo signed an Executive Order expanding the eligible pool of trainees who can administer vaccinations at a point of dispensing or “POD site” (flexible vaccination sites that can be set up in any community) using a non-patient specific order provided they first receive training. A non-patient specific standing order is a general order to vaccinate anyone who comes to be vaccinated at a POD and doesn’t name each person. These include:

• Licensed practical nurses (LPNs)
  • Unlike other healthcare settings, supervision by a Registered Nurse (RN) is not required in a POD site for LPNs to vaccinate using a non-patient specific standing order.
• Pharmacists who are not certified to administer immunizations by the New York State Education Department (SED)
• Midwives who are not certified to administer immunizations by SED
• Dentists
• Dental hygienists who have been issued a dental hygiene restricted local infiltration anesthesia/nitrous oxide analgesia certificate
• Podiatrists
• Emergency Medical Technicians
• Advanced Emergency Medical Technicians
• Students in eligible education programs (medicine, nursing, PA, pharmacy students who do not have a limited permit that includes a certificate to administer vaccinations, dentistry, podiatry, and midwifery)
• Temporarily-Licensed Pharmacy Technicians

All POD sites that have these non-traditional vaccinators (referred to below as “new vaccinators”) must have oversight from or be approved by New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) or the applicable Local Health Department, and must have medical oversight by a licensed physician, licensed physician assistant (PA), or certified nurse practitioner (NP). The individuals providing such medical oversight must have a current certification in CPR.

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Trainings

The following training requirements are for all new vaccinators, except for temporarily-licensed pharmacy technicians. Pharmacy technicians should refer to the Interim Guidance Implementing Executive Order 202.90 – Licensing of Temporarily-Licensed Pharmacy Technicians for more information, including certification and training requirements, found at the following link: http://www.op.nysed.gov/COVID-19tlpt.html

Required Training Under the Executive Order

1. Students: Sign up at https://apps.health.ny.gov/public/studentvolunteer/instructions
   
   For all other new vaccinators: Sign up at ServNYhttps://apps.health.ny.gov/pub/servny/.Volunteers are notified of opportunities based on the preferences indicated at registration.  In some cases, you may hear from a local Medical Reserve Corps rather than from the State of New York. Deployment to vaccinate at a POD site will depend on the staffing needs of the POD site. In some cases, there may be a need to fill non-vaccinator roles. Registering with ServNY does not guarantee deployment to a POD site.
    
2. Complete the online NYSDOH COVID-19 Vaccine Training for Vaccinators modules. There are four training modules:
   • Background on COVID-19 Vaccines:
   • COVID-19 Vaccine Considerations, Patient Screening, Education, and Consent
   • COVID-19 Vaccine Administration, Anaphylaxis, and Post-Vaccination Information:
   • COVID-19 Vaccine Shipping, Storage, and Handling
      
3. Complete the online Privacy and Security of Health Information in New York State module.
    
4. Complete in-person clinical vaccine administration training with assessment of skills and competencies in accordance with NYSDOH guidance.  
   • For students, vaccine administration training and skills assessment must be attested to and provided by their educational institution in accordance with NYSDOH guidance.
   • For all other new vaccinators, the in-person vaccine administration training must cover the areas listed in the Immunization Action Coalition Skills Checklist for Vaccine Administration. The assessment of the individual’s skills and competencies must be done using this checklist, with all areas identified as meeting or exceeding required skills and competencies for vaccine administration.
     • The checklist may be signed by a physician, PA, NP, or RN OR a certified EMS provider who is designated as an evaluator after their skills have been directly observed and signed off by the licensed physician, licensed PA, or certified NP who is medically supervising the POD or the EMS agency Medical Director. Preferred EMS evaluators include Certified Lab Instructors, Certified Instructor Coordinator, Field Training Officers, EMS Training Coordinators.
     • The training and skills assessment can be done at the POD site or, for EMS providers, by the EMS agency.
        
5. Additional requirements for students: Have completed, at a minimum, at least 1 year of clinical experience, as attested to by their educational institution in accordance with NYSDOH guidance.
    
6. For any providers who are licensed or certified outside of NYS, in order to be covered by the liability immunity under the PREP Act: Complete the CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Training modules found here:  https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/covid-19/training.html

How to Complete the Online NYSDOH COVID-19 Vaccine Training for Vaccinators and the Privacy and Security of Health Information in NYS modules

1. For non EMS providers, you must sign in or register on the New York State Department of Health’s Learning Management System (LMS).
   For EMS providers, go to www.VitalSignsAcademy.com and click on the top right hand side of the page “Login/Register”. 
2. You must complete the training modules in your system.To access the direct modules in the LMS system:
   Module 1 – Background on COVID-19 Vaccines
   Module 2 – COVID-19 Vaccine Considerations
   Module 3 – COVID-19 Vaccine Administration
   Module 4 – Shipping, Storage, and Handling
   Privacy and Security of Health Information in New York State
   
   For EMS providers, direct links will be available once you have logged in to www.VitalSignsAcademy.com.

*updated 2/19/2021

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Resources

• NYSDOH COVID-19 Vaccine Information for Providers
• CDC COVID-19 Vaccine
• Immunization Action Coalition COVID-19 Vaccine
• Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP)
• Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS)
• CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Clinical Training and Resources for HCPs
• CDC Engaging in Effective COVID-19 Vaccine Conversations
• CDC COVID-19 Vaccination Toolkits

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WPCNR WASHINGTON. From U.S. Congressman Mondaire Jones February 27, 2021:

After voting to pass the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, President Biden’s $1.9 trillion legislation to deliver real relief to the American people, Congressman Mondaire Jones (D-NY) released the following statement: 

“At the start of this pandemic, Westchester and Rockland Counties were hit the fastest and the hardest. For nearly a year, COVID-19 has robbed our communities of lives and jobs. But despite that, we are still waiting for real relief.

Tonight, by passing the American Rescue Plan, we can finally begin to crush this virus, deliver financial relief for working people and those who are unemployed, aid small businesses, safely reopen schools, and begin the process of Building Back Better from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

But this package must be the floor – not the ceiling.

We cannot afford to go small – the only fiscally and morally responsible option is to provide the financial relief that families need now.

The American people are suffering. Too many have fallen into poverty, face eviction, and are struggling to put food on the table.

Small businesses — the backbone of our communities — are closing at horrifying rates.

Our families deserve a $15 minimum wage. Our families deserve $50,000 in student debt cancellation.

And our families deserve $2,000 monthly survival checks for the duration of the pandemic. Anything short of that fails to fully meet the enormous scale of our ongoing economic crisis.”

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 WPCNR Governor Cuomo Coronavirus Report with Editor’s Notes from WPCNR . February 25, 2021:

Editor’s Note: In the New York State Vaccine Tracker introduced yesterday, Westchester County is reported having fully vaccinated 82,573 residents 8.5% of its 967,612 residents fully vaccinated.

A total of 141,359 Westchesterites have already received their first vaccine (14.6% with one vaccine shot). As second shots are administered, it appears Westchester could be 23% fully vaccinated within a month, supply permitting.

For this 20% Fully Vaccinated level to happen: This takes into account the 265,525 second dose supply of vaccines that arrived from February 15 to February 21st that could cover 141,359 still needing a second shot, providing Westchester gets enough shots. There are 35 days until March 31, that means to get to the 23% fully vaccinated level countywide, approximatley 4,038 persons a day will have to be getting their second shot. (End Editor’s Note)

Wednesday, New York recorded the lowest single-day positivity rate since November 21—2.85 percent.

New Yorkers have shown courage and fortitude in the face of this unprecedented pandemic, and it’s thanks to them that we’re seeing a decline in hospitalizations and COVID positivity.

We continue to make strides in our vaccination progress, too, with today’s opening of two “mega” vaccination sites at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn and York College in Queens. Not only are these sites located directly in traditionally underserved communities of color that were hit hardest by the pandemic, but thanks to enhanced MTA bus service, we’re making it even easier to access this life-saving vaccine. As we move forward, we will continue to prioritize social equity and fairness and do everything we can to ensure every New Yorker, regardless of race, background or where they live, gets vaccinated.  

Photo of the Day: Vaccinations are underway at the York College NYS/FEMA mass vaccination site in Queens (Photo by Don Pollard) Here’s what else you need to know tonight: 

1. COVID hospitalizations dropped slightly to 5,876. Of the 216,813 tests reported yesterday, 6,189, or 2.85 percent, were positive. There were 1,154 patients in ICU yesterday, down 22 from the previous day. Of them, 800 are intubated. Sadly, we lost 99 New Yorkers to the virus. 

 2. As of 12pm Wednesday, 89 percent of first doses allocated to the state have been administered. This represents 2,517,003 first doses administered of the 2,812,900 first dose allocations received from the federal government. So far, 3,907,040 total doses have been administered out of the 4,530,640 total doses received. See data by region and county on the State’s Vaccine Tracker: ny.gov/vaccinetracker.  

3. Eligible New Yorkers can start making appointments at New York/FEMA mass vaccination sites in Buffalo, Rochester, Albany and Yonkers. These four sites open (for actual vaccinations) March 3 and appointments are initially reserved for eligible New Yorkers in qualifying ZIP codes.

After a week, appointments will then open to all residents of counties (or other geographical areas) served by each site. Find all the details here.

 4. Beginning March 1, the MTA will launch a pilot program to enhance bus services to help get New Yorkers to our mass vaccination sites in Brooklyn and Queens. The bus service route will go from Edgemere Houses in Queens and Pink Houses in Brooklyn to the vaccination sites from 6:30 a..m. to 9 p.m. and add new bus stops adjacent to the vaccination site at York College.  

Tonight’s “Deep Breath Moment”: American space exploration efforts are reaching new bounds with the landing of NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars. The rover landed on the red planet on February 18 and during its first week, recorded the sounds of Martian wind. Perseverance’s exploration of our neighboring planet is part of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission to expand our understanding of our solar system and space.  If you were forwarded this email, you can subscribe to New York State’s Coronavirus Updates here. 

Ever Upward, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo