By Rachel Engel
ROCHESTER, N.Y. — EMTs in New York will soon be authorized to administer vaccinations after Gov. Kathy Hochul announced the change on Wednesday.
The change will increase the number of trained vaccinators in the state by 2,000 and make 50,000 additional EMTs eligible for training, WRFA reported.
“I think it’s a fantastic opportunity for EMS professionals to expand their scope of practice,” Syed Ahmed Mustafa, president and CEO of the Northeast Quadrant Advanced Life Support. “It’s something we’ve been trying to do in the state for decades, to show that we’re not just ‘ambulance drivers’ and fancy EMS taxis, but that we can do a lot of things in our community.”
EMTs will be required to go through a specialized training in order to deliver the COVID-19 vaccine and boosters.