Gov. Cuomo tackles COVID-19 vaccine distribution, economic revival in address
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Gov. Andrew Cuomo during his State of the State Address on Monday outlined a seven-step plan to overcome COVID-19 in New York that includes widespread vaccination and reopening the economy.
The address, which is usually given at the Albany Convention Center, was moved to the war room of the State Capitol and streamed online this year.
“We are at war — a war that began early last year, when we were ambushed by the COVID virus and a war that continues today.”
Cuomo’s plan calls for an aggressive public health framework and steps to combat the state’s deficit. Currently, the state has about 1 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine for more than 4 million eligible New Yorkers, Cuomo said.
The federal supply of vaccines must increase, he said. Until then, residents have to continue adhering to public health guidelines to minimize the virus’s spread, he said.
“Until the vaccine reaches critical mass, we must regulate and implore New Yorkers to be diligent,” Cuomo said. “COVID fatigue is not an option until COVID itself is fatigued.”
The governor also announced the launch of the state’s Public Health Core, a joint effort by Cornell University and Northwell Hospital to educate and vaccinate residents. The core will hire 1,000 fellows, who will spend a year rolling out a state vaccination plan and educational materials to prepare New Yorkers for future health crises.
Cornell will also design a free, online public health training program, with the goal of training and certifying 100,000 New York emergency health volunteers.
Cuomo is in the process of enacting several initiatives to ensure that New York will be ready should the state face another health crisis in the future. As part of the plan, he proposed the Medical Supplies Act, which would incentivize New York companies to manufacture medical supplies the state would purchase from first during a crisis. The act would create jobs and ensure that money is kept within the state’s economy, Cuomo said.
As part of the state budget due April 1, the governor has proposed legalizing recreational, adult marijuana use as well as state-sponsored mobile sports betting. The state also plans to increase testing so that restaurants, art spaces, theaters and commercial business can reopen before widespread vaccination. The state has also invested $500 million in its broadband internet system, which spurs economic activity, Cuomo said.
The federal government is to blame for the severity of the virus in the United States, Cuomo said. New York received word of its first confirmed case of the coronavirus before the federal government made announcements about the public health crisis or enacted any travel bans, he said.
“In recent years, Washington not only told us to drop dead, they dug a grave and they tried to push us in,” Cuomo said. “But their efforts failed. New Yorkers would not give up.”
The state will release more information about Cuomo’s plan to take on the virus in the coming weeks, he said.
“My friends, rest assured we can see the future, and it is bright,” Cuomo said. “We just have to get from here to there, and that’s what we need to do together.”
