NY to fine hospitals that fail to use up vaccines

In an effort to speed up what has been a sluggish rollout of coronavirus vaccine, New York's goverr threatened Monday to fine hospitals up to $100,000 if y don't finish ir first round of iculations by end of week.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said hospitals have been receiving vaccines over past three weeks as part of a program prioritizing frontline medical workers but have only ministered first dose of 46% of ir allocated vaccines.

That amounts to roughly 300,000 out of roughly 650,000 allocated doses so far, according to Cuomo.

Democrat blamed bureaucracy as chief reason for delays, at public hospitals in particular.

"This is a manment issue," Cuomo said at a news conference Monday. "y have to move vaccine and y have to move vaccine faster."

goverr also threatened to stop sending vaccine to hospitals that don't use ir share promptly.

Nationwide, vaccine roll-out has been stymied by logistical hurdles, confusion over who can get a shot and hospitals and local health officials facing surging cases in a holiday season.

Hospitalizations in New York have doubled since early December to 8,251 as of Sunday. state is averaging 13,687 daily new cases over past seven days, up 27% from a week ago.

Cuomo said he's spoken to leers of dozens of hospitals and that New York's delay isn't due to refrigeration and stor issues or hospitals trying to limit vaccines only to eligible and willing healthcare workers. He said hospitals going forward must use all vaccine shipments within seven day of receiving m.

Several hospitals in state have ministered fewer than 30% of ir allocated vaccines, according to Cuomo. That's compared to 99% of allocated vaccines ministered at New York-Presbyterian Healthcare System and 62% at rthwell Health — largest hospital system in New York.