Workers deemed essential by the federal government are still seeking state approval for the COVID-19 vaccine

Mail carrier Jason Mann has been confronting the pandemic for almost a year, delivering mail to hundreds of homes and businesses in Suffolk County, even if many of his colleagues test positive for COVID-19. I have been working shifts for 10 to 12 hours.

But Brentwood’s 43-year-old Mann said postal workers felt “forgotten” in New York. New York State has not yet been eligible for the coronavirus vaccine, despite federal recommendations.

“Why shouldn’t we be given the same opportunity as other high-risk groups,” asked Mann, a 17-year post office veteran and West Islip store manager. “I’m not saying I should go in front of other groups, but it’s not fair to simply exclude a group without explanation.”

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention I created a list Percentage of “frontline key workers” who recommend prioritizing vaccination. Since then, the majority of these workers, including healthcare, law enforcement, schools, transportation, and grocery store clerks, have been vaccinated by the State of New York.

Others weren’t so lucky.

The CDC recommends prioritizing vaccination of agricultural and manufacturing plant workers in addition to postal workers, claiming that their profession is at high risk of being infected with the virus. However, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo’s administration, which does not have to follow federal recommendations, has not yet given a green light to vaccinate these workers.

State officials said the problem would result in supply.

Currently, more than 7 million New Yorkers, including the elderly aged 65 and over, are eligible for vaccination. However, state vaccine allocations declined sharply, reaching approximately 250,000 doses per week, requiring extensive scrambling due to low bookings. Recently, many residents have canceled their scheduled reservations due to supply shortages.

“Our only goal is to vaccinate as many New Yorkers as possible as soon as possible, but due to the lack of federal supply, we cannot further expand our eligibility at this time,” the state said. Health Department spokeswoman Jill Montag said. “We understand the concerns and demands of all New Yorkers, but we are constrained until the federal government steps up and offers higher doses.”

About 44,000 post office employees work throughout the state, including about 7,800 on Long Island, officials said.

Xavier Hernandez, a spokesman for the Long Island Post Office, said more than 17% of USPS’s 644,000 employees were infected with the virus or had to be quarantined at some point nationwide. .. ..

“We recommend that you consider employees of Japan Post during Phase 1B deployment of the COVID-19 vaccine in state and local jurisdictions,” Hernandez said.

In several other states, including Virginia and Delaware, postal workers are already eligible for vaccination.

The decision on the order of groups to be vaccinated in New York Team of about 15 peopleLarry Schwartz, including state officials, health and budget leaders, said Kuomo’s former secretary was brought back to oversee the state’s vaccination program.

Members of the group have consulted with the local health network established by the Cuomo administration to distribute vaccines, first focusing on those who are considered to be at the highest risk of work-related exposure, officials said. Said.

However, critics have accused Cuomo of carefully selecting what guidance to follow from the CDC.

For example, on January 12th, Cuomo Presentation Based on the CDC’s recommendations, the state will expand the list of New Yorkers eligible for vaccines to individuals aged 65 and over, adding an estimated 1.8 million to the list.

The move allowed 3.2 million other New Yorkers, including frontline workers and workers over the age of 75, to be vaccinated the day after state approval.

The CDC also recommends adding immunocompromised individuals to the vaccination eligibility list. However, the Kuomo administration has not yet defined which illnesses to include, and cancer patients and those with severe heart disease, chronic kidney disease, and Down’s syndrome are waiting.

Cuomo’s top aide, Melissa De Rosa, recently included immunocompromised individuals in the following eligible groups, but the state is working with the CDC “to find a way to accurately define this category.” Said.

However, only 1.1 million New Yorkers have been vaccinated so far, and authorities acknowledge that it could take months before the state can expand its list.

Union officers representing thousands Long Island Electric Worker It also urges the state to expand its vaccine eligibility to include member states. The state said the group was part of the next wave of vaccination.

Approximately 7,000 Long Island farm employees, primarily in the East End of Suffolk, are also considered essential by the CDC, but have to wait until the next grouping.

Agricultural and food processing employees were initially included in the state’s Phase 1B vaccination schedule, but industry insiders say they were removed due to limited vaccine quantities.

“We need to be in the priority group because we need to continue the food chain,” said Steve Ammerman, a spokesman for the New York State Department of Agriculture. “No matter who you are or where you live, you need to eat, and we make sure our farmers are protected to do the work they need to produce food. is needed.”

Earlier this month, 17 state-owned organizations in agriculture, food processing and manufacturing sent a letter to Cuomo urging them to expand their priority list.

“The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines these employees as essential, and as more vaccines are available in New York, agricultural and food processing employees will be the first to open more working groups in Phase 1B. We need to consider it, “the letter said.

However, those workers are competing a lot for the highly sought after protection from COVID-19.

According to Mann, many postal workers take it for granted from the state, and they are ready to shoot.

“There was a time when almost no one was working during the pandemic, and we were still there,” he said. “What we want is an opportunity to match everyone else who is at the same risk as us.”

Robert Brodsky is the latest news reporter working on Newsday since 2011. He is a graduate of Queens College and American University.