Gov. Cuomo Said He Will Wait to get Vaccinated along with All Others in his Age Group

By Yehudit Garmaise

    Staying consistent with his stance that the COVID-19 vaccines must be distributed in a “fair and equitable manner,” Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who is 63, said today that he will only agree to get vaccinated once his age group in all races and income groups can get the shot.

    “COVID exposed many existing injustices in our society,” the governor told the congregation of Harlem’s Abyssinian Baptist Church in a pre-recorded address. “I want to take the vaccine … But I will not take the vaccine until it is available for my [age] group in black, Hispanic and poor communities around the state.”

   Although unlike many other politicians, Gov. Cuomo’s deferment of the vaccine until others his age can get it maybe be praiseworthy, his roll-out of the COVID vaccine in New York state has been slow-going.

   The New York Post reported last week that although approximately 630,000 vaccine doses have been sent to New York, as of last week, only 203,000 doses had been administered, state data shows.

   In the last three weeks in New York City, approximately 88,000 health care workers, nursing homes residents, staff members, other some emergency medical worker have received a first dose over the last three weeks, but Councilman Mark Levine, chairman of the New York City Health Committee, said the city is “far, far behind where we need to be.” 

    Levine pointed out that New York City has 500,000 health care workers in the high-risk category.

    “We should be vaccinating 400,000 people a week,” Levine said.

Gov. Cuomo also said that he will wait to get his shot because “it’s more important that our essential workers be given these first vaccines,” he said.

   In his last press conference of 2020 on Thursday, Mayor Bill de Blasio stated his goal to vaccinate one million New Yorkers in January.

(Darren McGee- Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)