The Mount Sinai Health System is committed to the health and safety of our staff, patients, and communities. In light of the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines along with the news from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration regarding an emergency use authorization of the Pfizer vaccine, Mount Sinai is pleased to be able to start offering this vaccine, a major step in the fight against this terrible pandemic.
Although we are unsure of the timeline, we anticipate that COVID-19 vaccines will be available to patients within the first few months of 2021. The New York State Department of Health determines when vaccines will become available and who will get them first, starting with high-risk health care workers and patients and staff at nursing homes. Mount Sinai will follow this guidance on when we begin to offer the vaccine to our patients. As more vaccine doses are manufactured throughout 2021, we will ramp up our efforts to administer doses to all who want to be vaccinated in the community.
Any vaccine that Mount Sinai offers will come with rigorous data showing that it is safe and effective.
We understand that you may have questions about the COVID-19 vaccines—from potential side effects to their effectiveness within diverse populations. To address these concerns, Mount Sinai is maintaining a COVID-19 vaccines information page to provide updates about the vaccines and answer frequently asked questions.
If you have additional questions about the vaccines, please reach out to your doctors. As more details become available in the coming weeks and months about when and how COVID-19 vaccines will be distributed to our patients, Mount Sinai will share them.
In the meantime, it is crucial that everyone continue to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a face covering, practicing social distancing, and washing hands.
From the time the pandemic first hit New York City, the doctors, nurses, and staff of Mount Sinai have been here for you and your family. As we move together into the next phase of our global fight against COVID-19, we are proud to serve our community by responsibly distributing a safe and effective vaccine.
Photos by Placido David Perez