DON’TO TRUST MASKED MAN
Gov takes whack at Don’s vaccine push ...
New York isn’t about to accept a coronavirus vaccine on Washington’s say-so.
Once the Trump administration gives the green light for a vaccine to hit the market, New York health officials will conduct their own review to make sure that the cure is safe, Gov. Cuomo announced Thursday.
“Frankly, I’m not going to trust the federal government ’s opinion, and I wouldn’t recommend to New Yorkers based on the federal government’s opinion,” Cuomo said during a press conference at his Midtown office. “New York State will have its own review.”
President Trump has made the race to find a COVID-19 vaccine part of his bid for reelection, promising that a candidate will be ready by Nov. 3 even though his own public health experts say that timeline is unrealistic.
Trump’s dubious vaccine promises have sparked concern among Democrats, who worry that the president may put pressure on his health officials to roll out a cure before it’s safe in order to juice up his chances of reelection, especially as the country’s COVID-19 death toll surges above 200,000.
For those reasons, Cuomo said at his press conference that the New York Department of Health will team up with premier hospitals in the state to conduct an independent review of whatever vaccine the Trump administration produces.
“We have the best hospitals and research facilities on the globe in this state,” he said. “We’re going to put together a group for them to review the vaccine so I can look at the camera and I can say to New Yorkers that it’s safe to take. I want to make sure that we know it’s safe to take.”
Alongside his vaccine review announcement, Cuomo issued a joint statement with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer calling on Congress to probe what they described as the Trump administration’s “politicization” of the pandemic. pandemic
The governors, who are among a small group of Democrats targeted by a recent Justice Department request for data on nursing home deaths, accused Trump of “deceit, political self-dealing and incompetence.”
“Rather than turning to the advice and direction of public health experts and career public servants, President Trump instead put the health and security of the American people in the hands of political appointees whose first priority was securing the reelection of their benefactor, with predictably tragic results,” they said.
The House select subcommittee on the coronavirus crisis is already investigating the administration’s overall response r to the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular focus on fraud and government m abuse.
But Cuomo suggested Thursday T afternoon that Congress needs to take a closer look at Trump’s various o efforts to sabotage New York’s battle with the virus, in ncluding his recent bid to strip s federal funds from the city. c
“You know the man has done d everything he can to hurt New York,” Cuomo told reporters at his office.
Trump has publicly feuded f with both Cuomo and Whitmer throughout the pandemic, targeting Cuomo over his cautious approach to reopening and New York’s high h death rate.
“One of the WORST governors in the USA. Caused 11,000 deaths in nursing homes h alone due to his bad moves and incompetence. At le east he said I ‘did a phenomenal e job.’ But he didn’t!!!” the president p tweeted earlier this month. m
New York was the hardesthit state as the outbreak began in the spring, but has since controlled the spread through strict measures enforcing social distancing, mask-wearing m and slowly reopening businesses across the state.
Cuomo, meanwhile, has accused the president of lying and “enabling the virus” by making false and misleading statements about its severity and impacts.
Trump has repeatedly downplayed the virus.
On Monday, as the country reached the grim 200,000 milestone, he told a crowd at a campaign rally that COVID-19 “affects virtually nobody — it’s an amazing thing.”