Gov Cuomo asks Pfizer if he can buy COVID-19 vaccines DIRECT after slamming Trump administration for not increasing supply
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has asked Pfizer if he can buy COVID-19 vaccines directly from the drug manufacturer to speed up the vaccination process because the US government is not providing enough supply.
Cuomo wrote to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla on Monday with his request after slamming the Trump administration for not increasing the supply of vaccine doses New York is receiving despite increasing the number of people now eligible.
So far, New York has used up just over one million of the 1.8 million doses the state has been allocated.
There are currently 7 million New Yorkers eligible for the vaccine after the federal government expanded the criteria to include those aged over 65.
In his letter to Pfizer, Cuomo asked if he could bypass the federal government and buy direct from the manufacturer because they weren't part of Operation Warp Speed.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo wrote to Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla on Monday with his request after slamming the Trump administration for not increasing the supply of vaccine doses New York is receiving despite increasing the number of people now eligible.
'The company's decision to opt out of Operation Warp Speed, which the Biden administration plans to overhaul, puts it in a unique situation that could help us save lives right here in New York,' Cuomo wrote.
Pfizer has not yet commented on Cuomo's request.
Cuomo admitted that he hadn't yet worked out how the state would pay for the extra doses.
The cost per dose for the Pfizer vaccine is about $19.50.
No other state buys the vaccine directly from the manufacturer.
'My job is to pursue every avenue,' Cuomo said.
Cuomo said that the federal government has actually been decreasing the number of doses New York receives after increasing the priority groups.
He said New York is only receiving 250,000 doses from the government this week, which is down by 50,000 from previous weeks.
'A stresser on this entire situation... is the federal government increased eligibility but never increased the supply,' Cuomo said.
He estimated that it will take seven months to vaccinate the 7 million New Yorkers currently eligible based on the supply.
'Seven months is a lifetime,' Cuomo said.
So far, New York has used up just over one million of the 1.8 million doses the state has been allocated. There are currently 7 million New Yorkers eligible for the vaccine. Pictured above is a vaccination site in New York City
Cuomo said that the federal government has actually been decreasing the number of doses New York receives after increasing the priority groups
Cuomo said the state is 'in a footrace' between the vaccination rate and the infection rate. He said they have been ramping up infections but the federal government has been keeping up with supply
'They must increase the supply. Approve Johnson&Johnson. Buy more Pfizer, buy Moderna,' Cuomo said of the government.
Cuomo said that 100 percent of the state's nursing home residents had now been vaccinated but only 62 percent of healthcare workers.
Both groups were in the initial phase of vaccines.
Gov Cuomo only expanded New York's vaccine priority eligibility last week, meaning those over 65 can now be vaccinated in the state.
He said eight additional mass vaccine sites would be opening across the state this week.
Cuomo said the state is 'in a footrace' between the vaccination rate and the infection rate.
He said federal authorities needed to improve their efforts to get vaccine doses distributed swiftly.
The test positivity rate on Sunday in New York was at 6.54 percent, which is down considerably since early January in the wake of the holidays
There are currently 8,868 people in hospitals being treated for COVID statewide and there were 153 fatalities on Sunday
New York's test positivity rate has declined following the holiday season.
Cuomo warned, however, that the threat of the UK variant posed a risk to the infection rate and hospitals.
He pleaded on Monday with federal authorities to curtail travel from countries where new variants are spreading.
Referring to new versions detected in Britain, South Africa and Brazil, Cuomo said: 'Stop those people from coming here.... Why are you allowing people to fly into this country and then it's too late?'
The test positivity rate on Sunday in New York was at 6.54 percent, which is down considerably since early January in the wake of the holidays.
There are currently 8,868 people in hospitals being treated for COVID statewide and the rate of increase in the number of hospitalizations is currently the lowest it has been since October.
There were 153 fatalities on Sunday.
Cuomo said eight additional mass vaccine sites would be opening across the state this week. There are currently five in operation statewide
