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Kaleida Health statement on Erie County's plan to vaccinate those with underlying medical conditions

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Sat, Feb 13th 2021 11:55 pm

Kaleida Health on Saturday released the following statement regarding Erie County Department of Health’s plan to vaccinate residents with certain comorbidities and underlying medical conditions:

“We are working with the Erie County Department of Health, our partner hospitals in the community, as well as our physician leadership to ensure that there is consistency on vaccination for those with comorbidities when it begins next week. That said, there are still a lot of unknowns at this time such as exact information on quantities that we may receive or what the precise timeline of delivery will be. What we do know, however, is that this will be an extremely limited resource and that demand will quickly exceed supply. So this is expected to be a very long and evolving process.”

On Saturday, the Erie County Department of Health announced it will distribute New York state-directed vaccine allocation to hospitals for people with comorbid conditions.

Hospitals such as Buffalo General Medical Center and Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital will be asked to evaluate inpatients during their stay and “vaccinate those who are most at-risk due to one or more comorbidities.” Hospitals will also be asked to identify outpatients “with significant comorbidities” such as those accessing specialty clinics, and offer them the coronavirus vaccine.

To date, Kaleida Health (along with the Erie County Department of Health) has not been notified of the vaccine allotment for this underlying conditions population for the week beginning Feb. 14.

Similar to last week, hospitals are still being instructed by the state to continue prioritizing unvaccinated group 1A health care workers, particularly their own staff, who wish to be vaccinated. The state on Saturday also announced local health departments are authorized to determine what forms, or combination thereof, of the below proof options are required in their jurisdiction. At state-operated mass vaccination sites, any of the following are acceptable to prove eligibility for individuals with eligible co-morbidities and underlying conditions:

√ Doctor's letter; or

√ Medical information evidencing comorbidity; or

√ Signed certification.

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