Governor Andrew Cuomo on Monday rejected the idea of expanding the list of eligibility for coronavirus vaccines to include restaurant workers – saying it was a “cheap and insincere” suggestion when state vaccine stocks were already running low.
The governor rejected the idea a few days after announcing that the city’s restaurants and bars could resume internal operations at 25% capacity from Valentine’s Day.
“I understood the theory about [making] skilled, immunocompromised restaurant workers [people] eligible, people with eligible diabetes, [people with] obesity, eligible asthma people, ”he said at a news conference in Albany.
“It’s very easy politically to say, ‘I think this one should be eligible, I think this one should be eligible, I think everyone should be eligible.’ The realistic situation is that you don’t have enough supplies for any of these people ”.
Those currently eligible for the vaccine include healthcare professionals, the elderly aged 65 and over, school staff, first responders and grocery workers.
Even with this limited group, New York has recently faced a severe shortage of the vaccine due to problems in the federal supply chain, leading to postponed nominations and site closures.
Cuomo challenged those who asked for the list to be expanded to choose a group to be removed from the equation.
“We don’t have enough anymore. Who do you want to remove? Teachers, policemen, [firefighters], [people who are] 65 more? Who do you want to remove? ” he asked.
“It is a cheap and insincere discussion. Yes, I would like to see eligible restaurant workers. But what does eligibility mean when you don’t have enough? “
Vaccination efforts met another hurdle earlier this week, when snow forced the postponement of nominations at city and state units in the five districts on Monday and Tuesday.
Consultations on sites administered by the city are being rescheduled automatically, mainly for the next week, in the same places – although not necessarily at the same time and day of the week, according to the municipality’s Health Department.
However, those who are unable to make their assigned slots automatically can request alternative accommodations, including later this week, if availability allows, the agency said.
Anyone who has appointments scheduled at the Javits Center or Aqueduct Racecourse – the state-run locations in the Big Apple – will receive an email or text message rescheduling their appointment at a similar time, state officials said.
Cuomo’s aide, Melissa DeRosa, on Sunday “assured” that anyone whose appointment at a state location had to be rescheduled due to snow could be given a new date this week.
As with the municipal system, anyone who fails to make their rescheduled state appointment can receive accommodation for an alternative day and time.