Decreased Unemployment Rate In New York 'Good News': Cuomo

LONG ISLAND, NY — As the rate of new coronavirus infection rate for New York State remains low, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday that unemployment statewide has also seen a dip — and echoed his belief that next steps involve direction from the federal government on how to administer a vaccine that could be available as soon as December.

"The unemployment rate in New York State is something to note. It was 16 percent" during the height of the pandemic but "is now down to 9.7 percent, so that is very good news," Cuomo said. "We have a long way to go but it is moving in the right direction."

New York ski resorts can open at reduced capacity

In other economic news, Cuomo said that as of November 6, ski resorts in New York State can open at 50 percent indoor capacity.

Skiing is a socially distant sport, he said.

Ski professionals say that skiing in New York "is better than anywhere in the country," Cuomo said. "And it's not only the best skiing in the United Sates, but you don't have to quarantine when you come back."

Infection rate low in New York

The governor said on Monday, Day 233 of the pandemic, that the rate of infection statewide, including the red cluster zones, was 1.2 percent; without the cluster zones, the percentage rate statewide was 1.1 percent. The rate of infection in the red zones, which includes Orange and Rockland Counties and areas of Queens and Brooklyn, is currently at 3.3 percent, "way down from where it was," Cuomo said. A total of 14 people died of the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, with a net number of 934 hospitalized and discharged, 198 in ICU and 106 intubated he said.

Context is critical, Cuomo said, adding that New York's rate of coronavirus infection is one of the lowest in the country; other areas around the country are seeing a much higher uptick. Iowa, he said, is at a 50 percent infection rate, for example, with Wisconsin at 24.6 percent, Florida, at 12.7 percent, and Pennsylvania, at 9.0 percent.

Even New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania are seeing higher numbers, Cuomo said, but with many heading back and forth for work in the area: "You can't do border control with New Jersey or Connecticut."

Looking to administering a vaccine

New York has done well by adhering to a strategy of attacking "micro clusters" head on, by neighborhood, rather than by region, and causing less disruption, Cuomo said.

Winter, Cuomo said, means a focus on vaccinations. "Hopefully the last chapter of COVID is this winter," he said.

To that end, Cuomo said the state has been working on a draft vaccination administration program, or VAP, that has been circulating and sent to the federal government.

A New York State task force, comprised of experts, has been convened to review any vaccine before Cuomo recommends it to the public, he said.

"But we are coming up with a plan based on presumptions," he said. "This is all preliminary."

The federal government has to answer many questions, including what vaccines will be available, and when they will be received in New York, Cuomo said. Other questions include whether some groups will be prioritized, such as those at highest risk, essential workers, nurses and other health professionals.

In addition, he said, a matrix of several phases to administer the actual doses will have to be created.

"This is going to be a massive undertaking," Cuomo said, involving hospitals, urgent care centers, pharmacies, departments of health, and mobile units, among others.

The federal government will be in charge of producing the actual vaccines and New York will create one statewide vaccination plan that local governments will all be required to follow, Cuomo said.

"But, and this is a big 'but,' states cannot do this on their own. Period," Cuomo said.

Creating and administering the vaccination plan is a larger operational task than anything that's been done to address the coronavirus pandemic to date, Cuomo said. There are 20 million people in New York that will each require two vaccinations, or two dosages, with 21 to 28 days in between, Cuomo said. That's 40 million doses, he said. Even with the major testing efforts that have been underway in New York over seven months, only 12.9 million coronavirus tests have been administered so far, he said.

"That gives you a scale of how daunting this task is," Cuomo said.

Several vaccines will be available, possibly as early as December, just weeks away — and other issues to be addressed also include storage; the vaccine must be stored at -80 degrees, Cuomo said, leading to questions of how many refrigeration units will be needed.

Cuomo also said there will be "trust issues about the vaccines, conspiracy theories and rumors. There's not a lot of trust, let's be honest, in the federal health organizations right now."

Taking a COVID-19 test with a nasal swab is a lot less intrusive than letting someone inject something in your arm, Cuomo said.

The National Governors Association, of which Cuomo is chair this year, released a letter to President Donald Trump Sunday asking how the vaccine administration program is supposed to work, and how the vaccine will be allocated to states — for example, will the formula be based on infection rate, the number of COVID-10 cases, or population? he said. There were a total of 35 questions posed in the letter, he said.

Cuomo said governors also want to know if there is a national strategy on prioritization — and if the government is going to "condition" the release of vaccines. "Will they say, 'We won't give you the vaccine in New York State or California, unless you do X,Y, and Z?'" he asked. "And can we know that now?"

Other questions center on whether there will be multi-state coordination — and who is going to pay.

"New York State is already $50 billon in debt," Cuomo said. "And the federal government has not passed legislation on state and local relief. If states and local governments have deficits, we can't fund essential workers. And this vaccination program will require more essential workers, not less."

Regarding the vaccination program, Cuomo added: "It's not a question of knowing what to do, it's a question of how to do. it. How do you do it? How do you administer 40 million vaccines in New York State?"

The important thing, he said Monday, is to get ahead of the vaccine's implementation: "We've been behind this virus since Day 1," he said.

The federal government "made a terrible blunder at the beginning of COVID; they were not ready and were unprepared," Cuomo said. "This was a federal abdication, with the President saying the states have to do it all. How convenient. When you have something that affects all 50 states, it's a national problem. And now they are handling the vaccine the same way."

Administering the vaccine will be one of the biggest operational challenges of all time, with testing having been the runner up.

"Administering a vaccine is going to make testing look simple," Cuomo said.

Nationally, there are 328 million people who will need a vaccine, Cuomo said. "How long will it take to vaccinate, 100 percent, and how does it happen?" he asked. "We only have several weeks. Let's understand how this is supposed to happen. Let's not deceive the American public again," Cuomo said. Once the vaccine is created, "it's not over," Cuomo said, adding that administration is critical. "That's not the truth. Let's start telling the truth," he said.

This article originally appeared on the North Fork Patch