Under pressure, Cuomo to widen vaccine eligibility

The most vivid example of what Hahn was talking about: New York.

Facing mounting criticism, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) on Friday said the state will expand COVID-19 vaccination eligibility to a wider range of the public, including people over the age of 75 and first responders.

Cuomo has been under fire for rigidly adhering to the state’s system that prioritized health workers and nursing homes, despite numerous instances of vaccine doses sitting unused in freezers or even being thrown out.

Even with a limited supply of vaccines from the federal government, New York’s vaccination rollout has been slow. Cuomo blamed hospitals, threatening to fine them and remove doses if they didn’t vaccinate health workers fast enough.

Now beginning Monday, Cuomo said anyone in phase “1B” will be allowed to make an appointment to be vaccinated.

While other governors expanded eligibility groups and praised hospitals and pharmacists for using extra doses, Cuomo stayed firm, insisting that providers were not allowed to deviate from the state’s plan. They could be hit with a $1 million penalty, and have their medical licenses revoked for giving a dose to someone not deemed eligible.

As recently as Thursday, Cuomo indicted the policy would not change, because there was not enough supply for lower priority groups. Cuomo also said that opening up eligibility to people in group 1B would essentially eliminate the priority for health workers and push them to the back of the line.