On her first day, New York's new governor made it clear that she's taking a tough stance on COVID-19 vaccinations.
Gov. Kathy Hochul says her top priority coming into Albany is addressing the pandemic and getting control of the delta variant.
While Hochul didn't get into specifics, it's clear vaccinations and booster shots will be a big part of her plan.
Hochul said now that the FDA has fully approved the Pfizer vaccine there will be a big push to get more people vaccinated.
And it is expected there will soon be full approval for the Moderna vaccine as well.
The move by the FDA is expected to cause more vaccine mandates nationwide from schools to businesses to local and state government workers. In fact, Greenburgh Town Supervisor Paul Feiner is now saying he's ready to enforce a vaccine-only mandate for town employees.
Meanwhile the governor says she's ready to crack down on the unvaccinated. "Much progress has been made, but too many are yet not vaccinated, putting themselves and their communities at risk. New Yorkers can expect new vaccine requirements, and more on that soon."
The governor also said she's prepared to reopen mass vaccination sites around the state that have been closed down to make sure people get vaccinated as well as get their booster shots when they reach the eight month time period.
Doug Fox,
of Tarrytown, is a big advocate for the COVID-19 vaccine. In fact, he and his wife recently got their booster shots. "My wife has M.S., we have
underlying conditions and it's very, very important to make sure that you take
the booster shot to make sure you protect yourself," says Fox.
Workers at the mass vaccination site at the
Westchester County Center in White Plains say business has picked up in the
past few days. They say they're averaging about 300 shots a day after a big
drop off.
Much of that is being
attributed to the FDA
giving final approval for the Pfizer vaccine this week. Moderna's vaccine
is expected to receive approval very soon as well.