De Blasio Defends NYC Coronavirus Vaccine Rollout Amid Criticism

NEW YORK CITY — An at-turns contrite and defiant Mayor Bill de Blasio pushed back against mounting criticism about New York City’s so far sluggish coronavirus vaccine rollout.

About 118,000 New Yorkers had received a vaccine dose out of 586,000 delivered when de Blasio gave his daily briefing Monday.

De Blasio for the second day in a row acknowledged some problems with the pace, but argued city efforts such as five new “24/7” mass vaccination sites will help reach a goal of 1 million vaccinated by the month’s end.

He also pressed for respect and greater “flexibility” to health care workers actually doling out doses.

“Give them the freedom to vaccinate and they will vaccinate thousands, and tens of thousands, then hundreds of thousands, then millions,” he said. “What they don't need is to be shamed what they don't need is more of bureaucracy what they don't need is the threat of fines.”

Hizzoner’s remarks followed Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s “use it or lose it” threat to levy $100,000 fines against hospitals — and perhaps even take away their vaccine responsibilities — that don’t use up doses within in seven days.

The city’s public Health + Hospitals system featured prominently in Cuomo’s threat because it only distributed 31 percent of its doses — a number de Blasio and city health officials disputed.

De Blasio on Monday blasted what he called Cuomo’s “arrogance” over the threat. He walked it back a day later, pushing back in more measured tones and apologizing for letting his emotions get the better of him.

Mitchell Katz, the city hospital system’s CEO, said all H+H workers with patient care responsibilities have been vaccinated in the past three weeks. He noted that hospitals could only vaccinate other staff starting Monday under state guidelines.

Many other worthy recipients, such as people over 75 with diabetes and heart disease, still can’t be vaccinated, he said.

“We have the ability to do it at our health centers and our hospitals,” he said. “We simply need approval from the state so we can get moving on these other groups.”

De Blasio said the city’s new mass vaccination sites will be set up in addition to other hubs and locations. He said two sites will go up this weekend, with the others to follow.

“Starting in a few days these sites will be set up and what you're going to see are places where anyone can come any hour of the day, get a free vaccine, get it quickly,” he said. “Sites will be again in all five boroughs, but we need state approval and support to move this effort.”

Comptroller Scott Stringer, who is running for mayor, also jumped into the criticism against de Blasio. He called on the city to start developing “stand by” lists of eligible vaccine recipients, among other forward-looking steps.

“I am alarmed by data indicating that only 25% of the total vaccine allocation delivered to sites around the city have been administered to people,” Stringer wrote in a letter to de Blasio. “I am especially concerned that the foundation of our city’s healthcare system, NYC Health+Hospitals, has only administered 31% of its vaccine allocation, while several private hospital systems have administered upwards of 90%. Reports of vaccine doses languishing in freezers rather than being deployed to those that need them should be as unacceptable to you as they are to me and every New Yorker.”