New dispute between state and city over how the COVID vaccine will be distributed – Telemundo New York (47)

Mayor Bill de Blasio reported Wednesday that his government has drawn up a massive vaccination plan against the coronavirus in New York City, which will begin in November.

De Blasio explained that the two-phase plan to distribute the coronavirus vaccine will reach all New Yorkers. “It will be a huge, huge effort,” he said.

The mayor made the announcement a few days after Governor Andrew Cuomo announced the state plan for the supply of the vaccine, triggering a new political brawl between the two leaders.

Cuomo often contradicts de Blasio’s statements, which he regards as reckless usurpation of state authority, but the mayor reiterated that the city’s plan will only implement state guidance.

The governor criticized de Blasio’s local plan on Thursday, although he did not refer directly to it. Cuomo noted that local governments “lack the authority to set the rules” regarding how vaccines will be provided.

“There will be no local authority in managing the supply of the vaccine. The state will have a state plan. The law is the law and I don’t want any confusion about that going forward, “Cuomo warned.

De Blasio’s bread, similar to the state guide, would prioritize essential workers and the most vulnerable populations.

Cuomo, who unveiled a five-stage state plan over the weekend, criticized the city’s management during the health crisis.

“So far, with all this COVID situation, the state is the one that makes the rules, the locals are supposed to enforce the rules. That was the responsibility of the local (governments), “said the governor.

“They have no authority to make rules. They may have opinions, but that’s all they are: opinions, ”he said.

But it is not the first political dispute between the state and the city. Similar divisions have emerged in recent months over school closings, the use of masks and local closures.

Journalists asked Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday about the latent tensions and how this has affected the handling of the COVID-19 crisis. The mayor said he doesn’t think most New Yorkers are concerned about divisions between City Hall and Albany.

The first phase of the city’s plan will focus on those “most in need of the vaccine” – healthcare and frontline workers, essential workers and the vulnerable, de Blasio said.

“The second phase is the general public,” he said.

Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi said the city is preparing for stratospheric efforts to vaccinate millions of New Yorkers in a matter of months.

The official said health workers will be going door-to-door in apartment buildings and clinics in partnership with the city to handle long lines of people waiting for vaccinations.

It was not just a hopeful prediction for the next few months, it was a scene from 1947, when the city carried out a mass vaccination campaign against smallpox, Chokshi said.

The city will build on its history and reach communities through trusted doctors and medical providers, he said.

More than 2,500 providers are currently reporting to the City’s Immunization Registry, and officials are actively enrolling more, according to a statement.

Phase one will be ready to start as early as November, assuming a vaccine is ready. The second phase of distribution to the general public can begin in early 2021.

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