I first want to give praise to the State of New York for having the vaccine available for New Yorkers. I am prior military and I’ve helped units deploy into training operations and combat. I was dealing with the max of a few thousand at brigade level, while in NY State there are 19.45 million residents who could potentially receive the vaccine.

19.45 Million

Let us say half of that number wanted the vaccine within the next 30 days. Can you imagine the paperwork, the labor, the time, and the number of people who would have to work together to make that happen?

I am talking about the true logistics behind moving almost 10 million doses across the state into the right, certified hands and into the right locations that could handle the public showing up for their vaccine. 

In my brigade, the logistics stress was felt six months out before the deployment date — and that did not include all the transportation that was already cleared six months before that. We had meetings on top of meetings about “how we could improve.” So, I can only imagine the level of coordination required serve our citizens.

The reason behind this quick story is simple: We are close. I see the light at the end of the tunnel. 

As a home care provider, I was able to offer my team the vaccine. I received an email link Sunday afternoon with time slots for Monday and Tuesday. I called my staff and registered those who wanted it. The next day, to my surprise, some were turned away with simple “No’s.” One need to change her time slot because she had to work late, the other had a paystub but no work ID card. 

New York, we are close. Let us not get caught up with the word “No.” Especially after we moved the mountain that seemed impossible to move. Let us continue to say, “Yes, we can.”

For the most up-to-date information on COVID-19 vaccine distribution, go to covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov.