Cuomo has been under pressure from New York City Mayor DeBlasio and others to include a greater number of people to get the vaccine shot’s…
Some places had to actually throw away doses of the vaccine due to their expiration dates sitting and waiting….
Facing mounting criticism, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Friday said the state will expand COVID-19 vaccination eligibility to a wider range of the public, including those over the age of 75 and first responders.
Cuomo has been under fire for rigidly adhering to prioritizing health workers and nursing homes, despite numerous instances of vaccine doses sitting unused in freezers or even being thrown out.
Even with a limited supply of vaccines from the federal government, New York’s vaccination rollout has been slow. Cuomo blamed hospitals, threatening to fine them and remove doses if they didn’t vaccinate health workers fast enough.
Beginning Monday, Cuomo now says anyone in phase “1B” will be allowed to make an appointment to be vaccinated.
He said providers need to continue to prioritize health workers first, so supply will be limited, but teachers, first responders, transportation workers and people aged 75 and older will be eligible.
Cuomo said people will be able to make appointments at thousands of new vaccination sites, including pharmacies, physician networks and community health centers. He said 500 pharmacies will start accepting reservations next week.
However, he warned it could be weeks before people who make appointments will actually be able to get vaccinated.
“At this rate, it will take us 14 weeks to do 1A and 1B. Fourteen weeks is an eternity of time,” Cuomo said, because there are 3.2 million people that will be newly eligible. “Don’t be surprised if that appointment is three months from now.”…