Ellis Hospital helps get COVID vaccines to Glens Falls Hospital staff

GLENS FALLS, N.Y. (NEWS10) – Staff at Glens Falls Hospital were among the first to receive COVID-19 vaccines in New York starting on Wednesday, thanks to some help from another hospital.

According to hospital spokesman Ray Agnew, three hospitals in the Capital Region received the coronavirus vaccine this week; Albany Medical Center, St. Peter’s Hospital and Ellis Hospital. Although the vaccines are only at those three locations, practitioners from elsewhere can come and get vaccinated. A supply at Ellis Hospital was allocated for Glens Falls Hospital employees.

The New York Department of Health asked the hospitals not to disclose the number of vaccines available. According to guidelines, high-risk hospital staff able to be vaccinated as of Wednesday include emergency room workers, ICU staff and pulmonary department staff, as well as EMS workers, coroners, medical examiners and nursing home residents and staff.

“staff at every hospital will have access to the first vaccine allocation,” the DOH clarifies on their website.

The department released specific criteria for which staff members should receive vaccinations first. Glens Falls Hospital staff must go to Ellis Hospital to receive vaccinations.

Agnew said the vaccine has received emergency use authorization, not approval. That means it’s still considered experimental for now, and so cannot be made mandatory. Employees who receive it will sign a release.