Cuomo: Federal government expanded vaccine eligibility but held back NY supply

The demand to get vaccinated has far outpaced what the state can supply, leading to frustrated New Yorkers racing to roll up their sleeves.

News 12 Staff

Jan 15, 2021, 10:57 PM

Updated 1,364 days ago

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The demand to get vaccinated has far outpaced what the state can supply, leading to frustrated New Yorkers racing to roll up their sleeves.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is putting the blame squarely on the federal government, saying it expanded eligibility while holding back the supply.
Supply aside, residents have grown frustrated with the state's vaccination website. More than 7 million New Yorkers are eligible to receive the vaccine, but many can't even sign up for one.
Website crashes, already filled time slots, and appointments made for weeks from now are some of the issues they're running into.
Gov. Cuomo says people can't get appointments because there are not enough doses physically available.
"The state website connected people with pharmacies, county health departments, etc., in their area. What happened is, they're fully booked," he says.
This comes as the governor says the Trump administration sent out 50,000 fewer doses this week than expected.
The state still faces distribution problems, only giving out ¾ of its supply weeks into the process.