Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday slammed Governor Andrew Cuomo’s plan to fine hospitals as a means of accelerating the highly criticized slow rollout of vaccines.
“That’s just arrogance,” de Blasio said in an interview with Errol Louis of Cuomo’s claim from NY1 that the fines could speed up the process.
Hizzoner went on to defend the city’s health workers, telling Cuomo to dismiss the threats.
‘Does he think our healthcare professionals are not interested in vaccinating people? What about the confidence of the people who have been our heroes? “said de Blasio.
“Help them, support them, don’t fine them, don’t threaten them, respect them and help them.”
Cuomo earlier Monday blamed the state’s slow inoculation – leaving large amounts of the vaccine unused – on local leaders, including de Blasio.
The governor also specifically argued that the Big Apple’s city-run health and hospital system failed to cooperate.
De Blasio said Monday night that instead of issuing threats, the state should introduce new rules to promote faster delivery of vaccines.
“We need rules that maximize the pace, that help us move faster and reach the people who are available, who are a priority and who are ready, willing and able, it’s common sense,” said the mayor.
So the state can help us here. Stop threatening people. “
The Department of Health sent a letter on Sunday establishing a use-it-or-lose it position, Cuomo said, requiring suppliers to use the supplies they have assigned so far by the end of the deal. week or they will be fined up to $ 100,000.
In the future, they must use all vaccines within seven days of receipt or they will be fined – and at risk of being cut off from future shipments of the vaccine.
According to statistics Cuomo cited Monday, public and private hospitals statewide have used only about 46 percent of the coronavirus vaccines they received.
While the New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System has led the way, with about 99 percent of shots allocated, the city’s health and hospital network has used only 31 percent.
But De Blasio Monday night called Cuomo’s analysis of the city-run hospitals “blatantly inaccurate, arguing that their vaccine supply was too high because much of the inventory was only a day old.
What he said about health and hospitals was just downright inaccurate. Much of that delivery to health and hospitals came in in the last 24 hours, they weren’t even in a position to turn around and use it. It was just there, ”said the mayor.