NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – The final doses of New York state’s COVID vaccine allocation for week six were arriving Sunday as Gov. Andrew Cuomo said a lack of supply from the federal government continues to be an issue as the state seeks to vaccinate some 7 million eligible residents.
After warning on Friday that the state’s week five supply had all but dried up, Cuomo said that the rest of the vaccine allocation for week six—about 250,400 first doses in total—would arrive by Sunday. Delivery of week seven allocation from the federal government won’t begin to arrive until the middle of this week, he said.
As of Sunday morning, the state’s health care distribution sites had received 1,304,050 first doses and administered 1,144,070, or 88%, of first dose vaccinations.
“As our week six allocation finishes arriving to providers today, New York has already administered 88% of its first doses, demonstrating once again that the problem we face is lack of supply from the federal government,” the governor said.
Cuomo said the state has the operational capacity to do over 100,000 doses a day. “We just need the dosages,” he said.
The state has also received 564,600 second doses and administered 139,929, or about a quarter, of those. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses spaced several weeks apart.
On Sunday, Cuomo urged worshipers at three churches serving largely Black congregations to get vaccinated against COVID as soon as they are able.
“We now have a vaccine that will save lives, but it will only save lives if we take it,” the governor said in a pre-recorded message shown at church video services in Rochester, Brooklyn and Syracuse.
Cuomo, who has complained that New York does not have enough vaccine supplies to meet the demand, said anyone who is eligible, including those over 65 years old, should get the vaccine if they can.
“My mother, who is 65-plus, will take it,” Cuomo said. “I have my daughters, who I love more than life itself, they will take it when they are eligible. And I will take it also. You should take it too.”
Polls have shown that vaccine skepticism is relatively high in Black communities. Two in five Black Americans in a survey last month from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research said they would not get a coronavirus vaccine.
In his recorded remarks, Cuomo said the coronavirus pandemic exposed the nation’s racism, noting that Black and Hispanic people have died from the virus at higher rates than white people.
Cuomo said he would fight to deliver vaccine doses at public housing complexes and through churches and community groups “to make sure it is accessible to the hardest hit communities of color.”
New York state reported another 12,720 cases on Sunday, down from the 13,786 cases reported Saturday. The state’s positivity rate declined from 5.26% to 5.09%.
New York City reported another 5,760 cases. Its seven-day positivity rate dropped from 5.71% to 5.68%, according to state data, which differs from city data. Mayor Bill de Blasio, citing city data, said Sunday that there were 4,561 new cases and 273 new hospitalizations in the five boroughs. The city’s seven-day positivity rate declined from 9% to 8.82%, de Blasio said.
Statewide hospitalizations also continued to drop, declining by another 189 patients to 8,613. That includes 1,021 newly admitted patients and 1,022 discharges.
The number of patients in intensive care also declined by 35 patients to 1,527, while the number of intubated patients dropped by 26 to 997.
The state reported another 160 deaths, bringing the state’s death toll to 34,069.
In a statement, Cuomo said, “the COVID war still needs to be fought.”
“While many feel COVID fatigue, that is a luxury we cannot afford,” he said. “If we tire before the enemy, the enemy wins—it's that simple.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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