The federal government’s plan for the distribution of a potential coronavirus vaccine is “deeply flawed” Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday said.
President Donald Trump administration plans to distribute private-sector pharmacies like CVS and Walgreens, a plan that was detailed by the White House in a conference call with the nation’s governors. Cuomo has pushed the White House to release more information on its vaccine distribution plan once one is available.
But Cuomo in a conference call with reporters on Friday afternoon faulted the federal proposal, calling it inefficient.
“It could take one year to vaccinate the population using only a private sector network,” Cuomo said. “This country can’t afford to take one year to do vaccinations.”
A state-based plan for vaccine distribution is unlikely given the federal government is unlikely to reimburse New York to do so, Cuomo said.
New York’s overall coronavirus positive rate in the last day stood at 1.5%, a figure that includes “hotspots” of the virus in the Southern Tier, Hudson Valley and parts of New York City. The number of people hospitalized due to COVID-19 stands at 1,085, unchanged from a day ago.
