March 8, 2021
it out, according to reports. Cuomo’s chief counsel Beth Garvey said in a statement the changes did not affect the conclusion of the report – that a controversial March directive for nursing homes to accept recovering COVID-19 patients in nursing homes did not drive deaths in those facilities. She added that the deaths outside nursing homes were removed because members of Cuomo’s COVID-19 task force could not verify them against hospital records.
NEW VACCINE APPROVED
The third COVID-19 vaccine, this one from Johnson & Johnson, received federal approval, spelling good news for the prospect of quickly vaccinating the public. In fact, President Joe Biden announced he expects all adults (the
City & State New York
vaccines are not approved for teens and children) to have access to a vaccine by the end of May. That’s two months sooner than his original promise of the end of July. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine is also different from the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines in that it’s a single dose and easier to store, which health officials hope will enable them to do athome vaccinations. New York City is setting up a program to get the shot to homebound seniors, starting first in Co-Op City in the Bronx and Brighton Beach in Brooklyn. Cuomo also announced that three state-run sites would begin offering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine overnight, turning the Javits Center in Manhattan, Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and the New York State Fairgrounds near Syracuse into 24-hour vaccination sites.
Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine was approved and is already being administered in New York state.
THE
WEEK AHEAD
THURSDAY 3/11 City & State hosts a webinar at 2 p.m. on New York City’s path to ranked-choice voting, focusing on Staten Island, with remarks from mayoral candidates Andrew Yang and Dianne Morales.
5
De Blasio is living for Cuomo’s downfall Is it just us or has New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio been more vocal about Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s shortcomings recently? The mayor, who is often tightlipped when it comes to the governor, despite their many public disagreements, has been lambasting Cuomo for his handling of nursing home deaths in the state as well as his response to allegations of sexual harassment On March 1, the mayor called for a full investigation into the harassment allegations, after a second claim surfaced the prior weekend, and he suggested that Cuomo should leave office if the allegations were true. “If someone purposefully tried to use their power to force a woman to have sex with them, of course that person should no longer be in public service,” de Blasio said during a radio appearance on Hot 97. Three weeks ago, the mayor also weighed in on the governor’s growing nursing home scandal, after Assembly Member Ron Kim revealed that Cuomo threatened to “destroy” the lawmaker over a statement he made regarding nursing homes. “A lot of people in New York state have received those phone calls,” de Blasio said during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “The bullying is nothing new. I believe Ron Kim and it’s very, very sad. No public servant, no person who is telling the truth, should be treated that way. The mayor also backed numer-
FRIDAY 3/12 The New York City Council Public Housing Committee holds a 1 p.m. virtual preliminary budget hearing on the New York City Housing Authority.
SUNDAY 3/14 President Joe Biden has vowed to pass a COVID-19 relief bill by this date that would include billions in new funding for New York state.
ous other lawmakers calling for a “full accounting of what happened” in nursing homes after the state shared data that indicated more than 15,000 nursing home residents had died of COVID-19. Cuomo and de Blasio have been sparring partners for years, but the governor has typically had the final say on whatever matter they’re bickering over, whether it’s how the coronavirus crisis should have been handled in the city, the subway system or the euthanasia of a deer. Since the governor has so much power over the city, de Blasio has often been reluctant to air his grievances in public – even when the governor has criticized him – not even to anonymously trash his adversary, as Cuomo, or members of his staff, have frequently done to de Blasio. There have been times when the mayor’s frustration with the governor has boiled over and he has openly complained about policy decisions or Cuomo’s management style. But it’s previously followed specific disputes, rather than de Blasio just weighing in on Cuomo’s actions from the sidelines. While Cuomo in the past could rely on de Blasio to be his – and the city’s – punching bag, the current controversies are giving de Blasio a rare opportunity to indulge in something Cuomo frequently does: kicking your enemy when he’s down. – Amanda Luz Henning Santiago
INSIDE DOPE
State budget negotiations are expected to really begin once the state Senate and Assembly approve their respective onehouse budgets in mid-March.
