Governor Andrew Cuomo says the New York State Clinical Advisory Task Force has approved the use of Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine. The move Friday comes after an FDA advisory committee’s recommendation for emergency use of the vaccine, but before the overall federal body has given it the expected green light. Cuomo says New York expects to receive about 346,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine next week, pending final FDA authorization. A vaccine from Pfizer and BioNTech approved by the FDA has started to be distributed in New York and across the country.
The state health department has also issued guidance regarding the use of an extra one to two doses that have been discovered in Pfizer vaccine shipments. Pfizer vials were believed to contain five doses each, but may contain six or seven. Medical professionals can use any extra vaccine that can be easily pulled into a syringe to meet the dose requirement. Extra vaccine from one vial cannot be combined with extra vaccine from another vial to make an additional dose.
Regulators says both the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines require two doses to be effective.
