NY: Hospital fined for vaccinating first responders without Cuomo’s consent

 https://charliekirk.com/news/new-york-hospital-fined-for-vaccinating-first-responders-without-cuomos-consent/

- January 11, 2021

Over the last several weeks, states across the country have been working to administer the newly released COVID-19 vaccine to healthcare workers and elderly, at-risk individuals.

However, one hospital in New York City is getting punished for doing so.

Democratic New York City Mayor Bill De Blasio said Friday that the state fined a New Rochelle hospital for vaccinating first responders without Governor Andrew Cuomo’s consent.

During a radio interview, De Blasio told radio host Brian Lehrer that a hospital in the city of New Rochelle, once the epicenter of the pandemic in New York, was fined after officials began inoculating first responders.

The remaining vaccines were also confiscated, the Daily Caller reports.

De Blasio and Cuomo have butted heads several times over the distribution of the coronavirus vaccine after several requests to begin vaccinating residents over the age of 75 were denied by the governor.

New York City alone reportedly has 270,000 unused doses that could be given to the elderly. According to the New York Times, that’s 66 percent of the city’s doses.

Because of the strict guidelines in place, a number of doses have been thrown out since the vial is only good for six hours – this particular vaccine cannot be salvaged once thawed.

During a press conference on Thursday, Governor Cuomo said that out of the 900,000 doses the state has received thus far, 430,000 people have received the first of the two inoculations, the NY Daily News reports.