The request was made in front of the pharmaceutical giant’s headquarters in Manhattan.
Photo: Fernando Martínez / Impremedia
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When it is almost a fact that the first stage of vaccination against him COVID-19 start in six days in New York, already some sectors that are not in the immunization priorities they begin to push to guarantee in a short time that the new drug is administered.
This Wednesday leaders of the New York Taxi Drivers Federation (NYSFT), in front of the headquarters of Pfizer in Manhattan, the pharmaceutical company that developed the first vaccine against the pandemic that has already begun to be administered in England, demanded that corporation donating 30,000 of your doses to protect city drivers who will transport patients to and from appointments where the new drug will be inoculated.
“If our drivers are healthy, that will be critical to ensuring a safe and successful immunization program overall. Because the vaccine takes about 10 days to take effect, patients should continue to take all precautions, including safe transportation, during all that time, ”he reasoned Fernando Mateo, spokesperson for the NYSFTD.
In New York City there are about 150,000 taxi drivers of different ranges and members of different associations, but this federation considers that it is “vital” for a group of its members, who live in the neighborhoods that have been most affected by the coronavirus, that are also on the priority list of the immunization plan.
In the long line of priorities
“We are not going to demand anything from the Mayor or the Governor, because we know that the reality of our essential workers who have served New Yorkers, despite the risks, is not in their interest. We are asking this support directly to this pharmaceutical. That would be like taking a cup of water from a well ”, highlighted Mateo.
Everything indicates that this Thursday, the vaccine advisory panel of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will meet to discuss the findings of the data reports before voting on whether to recommend authorization of the new Pfizer product. If so, your distribution in New York It will start on December 15.
Health sector workers and nursing home inmates are at the top of the list of health authorities to be immunized with the first batch of 170,000 doses.
For its part, Antonio Cabrera, NYSFT President describes as “very positive” that “health heroes” are the first to receive the new protection against the virus, but demanded that “a group of wheel workers who guarantee the movement of the city, from all sectors, are also placed in this line ”.
Before the second wave
The leaders of the transport union assure that great efforts have been made to guarantee the disinfection of the vehicles, for the safety of their customers, but now when it is already registered a second wave of infections in the Big Apple they fine-tune new protection mechanisms.
“We are promoting that our workers install small electronic devices that are used even in hospital wards, so that they eliminate all kinds of pathogens in an innovative way. Now with winter, it is impossible to keep vehicle windows open to be aired, ”Matteo announced.
NYSFTD also announced a partnership with Sentry Management Solutions, a healthcare transportation agent, which will allow schedule, track, register and monitor patients during transfers for your first and follow-up doses.
“We tried to talk with a Pfizer representative and to date this has not been possible. There are no answers ”, clarified Mateo.
The newspaper He asked the pharmaceutical giant for some reaction to the demand of the taxi drivers and at the end of this edition had not received any response.
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