Democratic New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio lambasted Gov. Andrew Cuomo for his “arrogance” after the Governor threatened to fine hospitals in the Boroughs that bungle vaccine distribution.
Cuomo slammed the hospital system throughout his state for utilizing only 46% of its supply of immunizations for the public, according to NBC New York. The Democrat on Monday ordered $100,000 fines for medical facilities that do not dispense their entire coronavirus shot stockpile by the end of the week, the local outlet reported.
“That’s just arrogance,” de Blasio said in an interview with NY1 about the six-figure penalties, according to the New York Post. “Does [Cuomo] think that our health care professionals are uninterested in vaccinating people? How about trusting the people who have been our heroes?”
“Help [hospitals], support them, don’t fine them, don’t threaten them, respect them and help them,” the mayor continued.
“That’s just arrogance,” @NYCMayor on @NYGovCuomo‘s threat to fine hospitals that don’t administer their remaining doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of the week.
The mayor tells @InsideCityHall that hospitals want to vaccinate more people but are constrained. #NY1Politics pic.twitter.com/ByUgLftw7c
— Spectrum News NY1 (@NY1) January 5, 2021
De Blasio also insisted that the path to success relies on “new rules” that “maximize the pace” of the vaccine distribution effort. (RELATED: Cuomo Hopes To Speed Up Vaccinations By Threatening $100,000 Fines Against Hospitals)
“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,” he said, according to the Post. “So, the state can help us here. Stop threatening people.”
New York City surpassed 8,000 total hospitalizations Monday for the first time since early May, according to CBS New York. The state has had roughly 1,028,000 positives cases since the inception of the pandemic, department of health data showed.
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