Mayor says NYPD can get vaccines, but Gov. Cuomo says not so fast
NEW YORK » New York City police officers seeking protection from the ravages of COVID-19 were caught Wednesday in the latest political tug- of-war between the city’s mayor and the state’s governor.
Merely an hour after Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a plan to start providing vaccines to most officers, fellow Democrat and frequent foe Gov. Andrew Cuomo shot that idea down, saying the limited supply of shots should still be reserved, for now, mostly for health care workers and patients in nursing homes.
Police unions praised de Blasio’s plan, which called f or vaccinating about 25,000 officers — with 10,000 receiving shots by Sunday. After Cuomo spoke, that praise turned to anger and confusion.
“Why t he governor doesn’t find us important enough to get the vaccination is beyond my belief,” said Paul DiGiacomo, president of the Detectives’ Endowment Association.
De Blasio, at his daily coronavirus briefing, said the city wanted to ensure that officers who work in close proximity with the public and whose duties include performing CPR and administering the overdose medication Narcan have the opportunity to get vaccinated immediately.
The mayor’s announcement appeared to solve a dispute over which of the city’s first responders would be eligible for the vaccine soonest.
Fire department EMTs, i ncluded with hospital workers in the top tier of the state’s rollout guidelines, started receiving shots on Dec. 23. Police personnel argued t hey should also be eligible because they too respond to medical emergencies and often go to hospitals to interview crime victims.
But Cuomo said that despite de Blasio’s pronouncement, most NYPD officers still don’t qualify for vaccinations under the state’s guidelines.
“Police who are not health care workers are not yet eligible,” Cuomo said. “We need to get the health care population done f irst because they are the front line, as I mentioned before.”
Revised guidelines released by the state Tuesday did not explicitly say that police officers could be vaccinated, but a de Blasio spokesperson said city officials were told they could include police and correction officers working in the city’s jails as front-line workers eligible for the shots.
“New York City is asking for the f reedom to vaccinate more high-risk workers who are out there saving the lives of New Yorkers,” said De Blasio spokesperson Bill Neidhardt. “It’s simple. We have the doses, let’s put it in their arms and help them save lives.”