Vaccine priority
January 14, 2021 11:52 AM Subscribe
Where is my friend on the vaccine priority list? Type 1 diabetes, works at a college, in New York.
I have a friend who has Type 1 diabetes that is severe and difficult to manage, but this is apparently lower on the priority list than Type 2 diabetes. She also works for a college but in the student financial services department, and the students are currently remote, but I can't get a sense of if this puts her higher up the list because she works in the 'educational sector', but is that reserved for people currently interacting with students or with only elementary/middle/high schoolers? I'm very concerned for her because she is going into the office on the subway every day, and she's consistently medically fragile (is hospitalized at least once a year from diabetes complications).
Before you ask, yes she has to go in to the office for *reasons*. Let's not get into it but assume that will not change.
I've scoured the CDC and NY state websites to see if at least her occupation will allow her sooner access than her underlying medical condition but it's just really not clear. She's called her medical provider and they don't seem to have an answer for her either [they are a) historically incompetent, and b) I know information is hardly clear, even to medical providers at the moment and I want to give them the benefit of the doubt that they are overwhelmed]. She's not trying to get a leg-up on anyone who is higher priority, she's really just trying to protect her health within the guidelines set forth. Her being her, she would rather every other single human on earth get a vaccine before her as she is the most selfless person out there, but understands that maybe she should try to take care of herself in this regard.
But hoping someone out there might be able to lend some clarity that she could use to advocate for herself. She lives in Brooklyn, NY. Appreciate any help!
I have a friend who has Type 1 diabetes that is severe and difficult to manage, but this is apparently lower on the priority list than Type 2 diabetes. She also works for a college but in the student financial services department, and the students are currently remote, but I can't get a sense of if this puts her higher up the list because she works in the 'educational sector', but is that reserved for people currently interacting with students or with only elementary/middle/high schoolers? I'm very concerned for her because she is going into the office on the subway every day, and she's consistently medically fragile (is hospitalized at least once a year from diabetes complications).
Before you ask, yes she has to go in to the office for *reasons*. Let's not get into it but assume that will not change.
I've scoured the CDC and NY state websites to see if at least her occupation will allow her sooner access than her underlying medical condition but it's just really not clear. She's called her medical provider and they don't seem to have an answer for her either [they are a) historically incompetent, and b) I know information is hardly clear, even to medical providers at the moment and I want to give them the benefit of the doubt that they are overwhelmed]. She's not trying to get a leg-up on anyone who is higher priority, she's really just trying to protect her health within the guidelines set forth. Her being her, she would rather every other single human on earth get a vaccine before her as she is the most selfless person out there, but understands that maybe she should try to take care of herself in this regard.
But hoping someone out there might be able to lend some clarity that she could use to advocate for herself. She lives in Brooklyn, NY. Appreciate any help!
Sorry! The questions weren't loading properly for me. I filled it out for myself the other day and I may have been viewing a cached version. I tried another browser and there is indeed a question "Are you an in-person college faculty or instructor?", but nothing about Diabetes.
posted by jonathanhughes at 12:07 PM on January 14, 2021
posted by jonathanhughes at 12:07 PM on January 14, 2021
If your friend is employed by CUNY in a title covered by the PSC-CUNY then she is eligible as a educational professional. (And if she is and she has been required to work on-site then she should be in touch with the union, cause it shouldn't be happening).
posted by Pineapplicious at 12:08 PM on January 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Pineapplicious at 12:08 PM on January 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
I would say no, she is not eligible yet, unless she is 65 years old or older. See ny.gov's page Phased Distribution of the Vaccine Phase 1a & Phase 1b (edited for clarity and pertinence to your friend's situation):
We are currently in Phase 1a and initial groups from Phase 1b.posted by hooray at 12:18 PM on January 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
Provider Guidance
Eligible New Yorkers in Phase 1a and 1b are:Beginning January 11, 2021:
- High-risk hospital workers (emergency room workers, ICU staff and Pulmonary Department staff)
- Residents and staff at nursing homes and other congregate care facilities
- Federally Qualified Health Center employees
- EMS workers
- Coroners, medical examiners and certain funeral workers
- Staff and residents at OPWDD, OMH and OASAS facilities
- Urgent Care providers
- Individuals administering COVID-19 vaccines, including local health department staff
- All Outpatient/Ambulatory front-line, high-risk health care workers of any age who provide direct in-person patient care
- All staff who are in direct contact with patients (i.e., intake staff)
- All front-line, high-risk public health workers who have direct contact with patients, including those conducting COVID-19 tests, handling COVID-19 specimens and COVID-19 vaccinations
- This includes, but is not limited to,
- Doctors who work in private medical practices and their staff
- Doctors ...
- Staff of nursing homes/skilled nursing facilities who did not receive COVID vaccination through the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program
- Individuals Age 65 and older
- First Responder and Support Staff for First Responder Agency
- Corrections
- P-12 Schools
- Employees or Support Staff of Licensed or Registered Childcare Setting
- Licensed, Registered, Approved or Legally Exempt Childcare Providers
- Public Transit
- Individuals living in a homeless shelter where sleeping, bathing or eating accommodations must be shared with individuals and families who are not part of your household
- Individual working (paid or unpaid) in a homeless shelter where sleeping, bathing or eating accommodations must be shared by individuals and families who are not part of the same household, in a position where there is potential for interaction with shelter residents
- Grocery store workers
- In-person college instructors
Sorry, I just read your question again and realized you're asking WHERE on the list she would be and I don't think NY has released that information yet, but the best resource would still be ny.gov's distribution plan page, as linked above.
posted by hooray at 12:27 PM on January 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by hooray at 12:27 PM on January 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
These things are changing quickly. Some colleges and universities have vaccines now because they have health services on campuses, and some of these vaccines might roll out to staff working on campus. She might call her campus student health department. But there's not really a great answer for this because we don't have firm federal guidelines. Educators has referred to K-12 in many but not all states, generally. Depends on the state. She should call student health.
posted by bluedaisy at 12:32 PM on January 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by bluedaisy at 12:32 PM on January 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
New York Times has a calculator for priority.
As far as I can tell, educational sector = instructors, not clerical worker sorts working in university offices. Her medical condition will get her higher on the list than her job, I wouldn't count on the job boosting her up.
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:05 PM on January 14, 2021
As far as I can tell, educational sector = instructors, not clerical worker sorts working in university offices. Her medical condition will get her higher on the list than her job, I wouldn't count on the job boosting her up.
posted by jenfullmoon at 1:05 PM on January 14, 2021
These things are changing quickly. Some colleges and universities have vaccines now because they have health services on campuses, and some of these vaccines might roll out to staff working on campus.
Just want to point out that even if colleges and universities become approved vaccine providers, they will be required to stick to the same priorities as every other provider, and won't be able to vaccinate their employees who otherwise aren't yet eligible.
posted by benbenson at 1:43 PM on January 14, 2021 [3 favorites]
Just want to point out that even if colleges and universities become approved vaccine providers, they will be required to stick to the same priorities as every other provider, and won't be able to vaccinate their employees who otherwise aren't yet eligible.
posted by benbenson at 1:43 PM on January 14, 2021 [3 favorites]
Just want to point out that even if colleges and universities become approved vaccine providers, they will be required to stick to the same priorities as every other provider, and won't be able to vaccinate their employees who otherwise aren't yet eligible.
This has absolutely not been the case at hospitals, who have vaccinated administrators working completely from home and apparently without consequence. I don't think this is all going to be as simple as perhaps it seemed before the vaccines started rolling out. If a university has 50 doses and 30 people in the queue to vaccinate, they will need to find additional people. Things seem to change weekly. I would encourage the poster's friend to contact their campus student health department.
posted by bluedaisy at 2:14 PM on January 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
This has absolutely not been the case at hospitals, who have vaccinated administrators working completely from home and apparently without consequence. I don't think this is all going to be as simple as perhaps it seemed before the vaccines started rolling out. If a university has 50 doses and 30 people in the queue to vaccinate, they will need to find additional people. Things seem to change weekly. I would encourage the poster's friend to contact their campus student health department.
posted by bluedaisy at 2:14 PM on January 14, 2021 [1 favorite]
T1D is currently listed in the second tier of risk factors according to CDC recommendations; it's in the "might be at increased risk" list and many (but not all, and the ny.gov link above is not clear on this) states are prioritizing only the "at increased risk" category.
This is a contentious issue because research suggests that T1D does increase risk of COVID complications, but there just aren't as many Type 1s as there are Type 2s so the data is limited.
posted by substars at 8:57 AM on January 15, 2021
This is a contentious issue because research suggests that T1D does increase risk of COVID complications, but there just aren't as many Type 1s as there are Type 2s so the data is limited.
posted by substars at 8:57 AM on January 15, 2021
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But the only question related to education is "Are you employed in a P-12 school or school district?" so it doesn't;t appear that at this point anyone working in a college would get into this current phase.
posted by jonathanhughes at 11:55 AM on January 14, 2021