New York, NY-Today, the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Health and Human Services (HHS) agency announced that the Federal COVID-19 vaccine program would no longer mandate participating states to acquire and share personal information, such as drivers licenses or social security numbers, of residents who receive the vaccine. The news comes after the New York Immigration Coalition joined Governor Andrew Cuomo on a letter demanding that the federal vaccine program not include a data-sharing agreement and provide funding to reach underserved communities.
In response to the announcement, Murad Awawdeh and Rovika Rajkishun, interim Co-Executive Directors of the New York Immigration Coalition, issued the following statement.
“We are thrilled that the CDC and HHS heard our call and removed unnecessary barriers to this life-saving vaccine. In New York, immigrants who have served on the frontlines of this pandemic will no longer have to choose between their privacy and their family’s health and safety. We thank Governor Cuomo and our partners for joining our fight for investments in the health of immigrants and communities of color. Our advocacy ensured that the only agenda driving the vaccine program is our collective health.”