New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) is threatening to take legal action against the Trump administration over the distribution of the forthcoming vaccine for the Chinese coronavirus.
Speaking at Manhattan’s Riverside Church on Sunday, Cuomo said the Trump administration’s distribution plan “basically has private health care companies administer the vaccines” and threatened to join both the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Urban League in a lawsuit to ensure equitable distribution.
“The president talks about CVS and Walgreens and national chains. Sure. But they are mainly located in rich communities, not in poor communities,” Cuomo said.
“My friends, we cannot compound the racial injustice that COVID has already created. And let me be clear — the Black and brown communities that were first on the list of who died cannot be last on the list of who receives the vaccines, period,” he continued.
Cuomo, whose state has reported over 33,000 deaths from the virus, continued in his attack of the Trump administration, contending that he has “tried to work with the Trump administration and argue morality and principle for four years.”
He continued:
You’re better off trying to argue with a rock. But it’s not just about morality. There can be no more fundamental right in this moment than access to the vaccine. Any plan that intentionally burdens communities of color to hinder access to the vaccine deprives those communities of equal protection under the law and equal protection is enshrined in the Constitution of these United States.
…
I tell you today, if the Trump administration does not change this plan and does not provide an equitable vaccine process we will enforce our legal rights , we will bring legal action to protect New Yorkers … and we will fight to make sure very life is protected equally, because enough people have died and enough injustice has been done during COVID. It stops now, it stops with this vaccine.
Cuomo’s threat follows President Trump’s Friday remarks, in which he previewed his intention to withhold the vaccine from states such as New York unless the governor changes his position:
As soon as April the vaccine will be available to the entire general population, with the exception of places like New York state, where for political reasons the governor decided to say — and I don’t think it’s good politically, I think it’s very bad from a health standpoint — but he wants to take his time on the vaccine.
“He doesn’t trust where the vaccines coming from,” Trump continued, noting the governor’s public skepticism. “So the governor, Gov. Cuomo will have to let us know when he’s ready for it, otherwise we, we can’t be delivering it to a state that won’t be giving it to its people, immediately.”
“And I know many I know the people in New York very well I know they want it,” Trump continued. “So the governor will let us know when he’s ready.”
“I hope he doesn’t handle this as badly as he’s handled the nursing homes,” the president said, adding that they will be “ready to provide it as soon as they let us know that they’ll actually use it.”
On Monday, Moderna reported that its vaccine is 94.5 percent effective, prompting expectations of big gains in the stock market. Last week, Pfizer announced that its experimental vaccine was 90 percent effective, causing a similar effect. At the time, Cuomo said it was “good news” but added that it was also “bad news” that the vaccine rollout would occur under the Trump administration.
“The bad news is that it’s about two months before Joe Biden takes over, and that means this administration is going to be implementing a vaccine plan. The vaccine plan is very important and it’s probably the most ambitious undertaking since COVID began,” he told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos:
“And the Trump administration is rolling out the vaccination plan and I believe it’s flawed,” Cuomo said. “I believe it learns nothing from the past.”
“They’re basically going to have the private providers do it, and that’s going to leave out all sorts of communities that were left out the first time when COVID ravaged them,” he added.
Cuomo’s threat follows an ongoing feud between Cuomo and the president, which heightened throughout the pandemic. During an appearance on The Howard Stern Show last week, Cuomo confessed that he would have “decked” Trump if not for his status as the governor of New York.
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