De Blasio slams Cuomo's 'arrogance' amid criticism over COVID-19 vaccine fine threats
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Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday slammed Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s plan to fine hospitals as a means of speeding up the state’s highly criticized slow vaccine rollout.
"That’s just arrogance," de Blasio said in an interview with NY1’s Errol Louis of Cuomo’s claims that the monetary penalties could speed up the process.
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Hizzoner went on to defend the city’s healthcare workers and told Cuomo to lay off the threats.
"Does he think that our healthcare professionals are uninterested in vaccinating people? How about trusting the people who have been our heroes?" de Blasio said.
"Help them, support them, don’t fine them, don’t threaten them, respect them and help them."
Cuomo earlier Monday deflected blame on the state’s sluggish inoculation effort — which has seen large quantities of the vaccine supply unused — to local leaders, including de Blasio.
The governor also specifically argued the Big Apple’s city-run Health and Hospitals system have not carried their weight.
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De Blasio said on Monday night that instead of issuing threats, the state should implement new rules to foster faster vaccine delivery.
"We need rules that maximize the pace, that help us speed up and reach the people who are available, who are a priority and who are ready, willing and able, it’s common sense," the mayor said.
"So, the state can help us here. Stop threatening people."
The state Department of Health on Sunday sent a letter establishing a use-it-or-lose-it position, Cuomo said, requiring providers to use the supplies they’ve thus far been allocated by week’s end or face fines of up to $100,000.
Moving forward, they must use all vaccines within seven days of receipt or face fines — and risk being cut off from future shipments of the vaccine.
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Public and private hospitals statewide have used only about 46 percent of the coronavirus vaccines they have been provided, according to stats Cuomo cited Monday.
While the New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System has led the way, with about 99 percent of its allotted shots administered, by contrast, the city’s Health and Hospitals network has used just 31 percent.
But De Blasio Monday night called Cuomo’s analysis of the city-run hospitals "blatantly inaccurate, arguing their vaccine supply was inflated since much of the inventory was merely a day old.
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"What he said about Health and Hospitals was just blatantly inaccurate. A lot of that delivery to Health and Hospitals came in in the last 24 hours, they weren’t even in the position to turn around and use it. It’d just got there," the mayor said.
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