Javits jab-athon
13,432 shots in 24-hr. vaxapalooza
Manhattan’s Javits Center may have broken a single-day record for doling out vaccines after its COVID-19-immunization operation went 24 hours this week, Gov. Cuomo declared on Sunday.
The vaccination hub at the Hell’s Kitchen convention center administered 13,432 shots on Saturday alone, Cuomo said.
“We believe that is the largest number of vaccines ever delivered in the country in a single day,” Cuomo said during a conference call with reporters.
The overnight appointments began on Friday evening as part of a pilot program to distribute Johnson & Johnson’s newly approved one-dose vaccine.
Yankee Stadium in The Bronx and the State Fairgrounds in Syracuse also switched to 24-hour vaccination sites last week.
“This is because this week, we have a one-time additional vaccine bonus from Johnson & Johnson, but you’re going to see the numbers continue to ramp up,” Cuomo said.
He said officials had been “worried” no one would venture out for a vaccine appointment in the middle of the night, but the slots were snapped up in “hours.”
He said the state was also on track to administer its highest number of vaccines this week.
“We’re going to do about 850,000 vaccines this week, which we believe is going to be an all-time record for us,” he said.
Meanwhile, Cuomo said on
Sunday that he would sign a bill that strips him of the emergency powers he was granted for the coronavirus pandemic.
“I’m signing today the Legislature’s emergency-powers bill,” he said on Sunday’s conference call. “And I’m going to implement it today with a significant change.”
That change is a new directive, which he announced on Sunday, allowing restaurants outside of New York City to open up more indoor dining seats. They can open to 75 percent indoor capacity on March 19 — up from the current 50 percent mark.
New York City eateries will remain
at 35 percent indoor capacity.
“The Legislature has five days to review the change,” Cuomo said. “And we’ll discuss it with any members of the Legislature or local governments who have issues. [The] Legislature has the ability to cancel it with 50 percent of the vote.”
Lawmakers in Albany passed the bill on Friday, rescinding Cuomo’s ability to create new COVID-19 directives or extend existing ones without approval from the Legislature — a bid to curb his power while he faces sexualharassment claims and allegations that he withheld information about coronavirus deaths in nursing homes.
Undeterred, he insisted on Sunday that the pandemic recovery was progressing in the state.
“The numbers are down,” he said. “When the numbers are down we adjust the economy reopening throughout.”