| New York state led the nation in testing for the coronavirus. But its rollout of a vaccination program has been slow by comparison, and Governor Andrew Cuomo is putting part of the blame on hospitals.
More than half of the shots received by 194 public and private hospitals statewide remain unused, Cuomo said at a briefing Monday. While some have used nearly all of their allocation, others have given out as little as 15%, he said. New York City's public hospitals have administered 31%, according to Cuomo. "I need those public officials to step in and manage those systems," Cuomo said. "You have the allocation; we want it in people's arms as soon as possible." If they don't pick up the pace, there will be consequences. Hospital operators could be fined as much as $100,000 and risk not receiving further coronavirus vaccine shipments if they don't administer doses within a week of getting them, Cuomo warned.  Andrew Cuomo Photographer: Spencer Platt/Getty Images North America Hospital providers who are "seriously deficient" in administering vaccines can be subject to further sanctions, including limited allocations in the future. If hospitals aren't able to speed it up, they should say so, Cuomo said. "You would be fined for accepting an allocation that you can't administer or won't administer," he said. About 300,000 New Yorkers have been vaccinated so far, with the main focus on front-line medical workers. The state is looking to hasten its vaccination efforts as Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations continue to climb. Beyond hospital systems, Cuomo laid blame for the slower-than-expected rollout on the federally run program to inoculate residents and staff at nursing homes administered by Walgreens and CVS. He vowed to supplement and expedite the U.S. effort. Only 288 of the 611 facilities enrolled in the federal program have completed the first dose for residents, Cuomo said. The state plans to provide additional doses this week to get up to 85% of nursing-home residents vaccinated with the first dose, he said. There have been some issues with people refusing the vaccine, Cuomo said. About 10% of nursing home residents statewide and 15% of their staff have refused to get the vaccine, state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker said at the briefing.—Keshia Clukey | 
Post a Comment