New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday took a subtle shot at Governor Andrew Cuomo on the slow launch of the COVID-19 vaccine in the state, pressing his fellow Democrat to broaden eligibility criteria to include new older elders and all essential workers.
“We need freedom to vaccinate,” de Blasio said during a news conference. “This city needs the freedom to vaccinate as many people as possible. We need the freedom to vaccinate because with that freedom and flexibility, we can reach so many people ”.
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The effort to vaccinate millions of New Yorkers is starting slowly, frustrating city and health officials as the virus spreads across the country and a variant of a more contagious new strain has been detected in the city.
New York City will create 250 vaccination sites administered by the city this month in an effort to speed up the process and administer 1 million doses by January 31, said de Blasio earlier this week.
Currently, only health workers, nursing home residents and staff members are being vaccinated in New York. De Blasio said it is time to expand eligibility to include people over 75 and essential workers, such as grocery workers, firefighters and teachers.
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“My central concern now is people over 75,” he said. “Look, people over 75 are the most vulnerable in this crisis. We are currently not allowed to vaccinate them according to state rules. We need freedom and flexibility to start vaccinating people over 75 immediately. ”
Only about 100,000 people received vaccines in New York City during the first three weeks after the first vaccine was approved for emergency use, but de Blasio promised that the city will administer 400,000 vaccines a week by the end of this month.
“We are going to reach all the essential workers – whether you work in a supermarket, food service or you are a policeman or a fireman or an educator, we need to reach all essential workers as quickly as possible,” he said. “We are looking for that freedom.”
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Meanwhile, Cuomo has threatened to fine hospitals that do not administer their vaccines quickly enough.
“If you don’t want to be fined, don’t participate in the program,” he said on Monday. “It is not a mandatory program.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report