Published 15:32 IST, November 15th 2020
Trump 'threatens' to withhold vaccine from NY, Gov. Cuomo takes a swipe at the President
Trump told reporters at the Rose Garden, White House that coronavirus vaccine will be widely available across the US with exception of New York State.
In a fresh controversy over the politicization of the COVID-19 vaccine, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo launched a scathing attack in a televised interview at US President Donald Trump, saying, that Americans “do not trust him.” Cuomo’s statement comes after Trump withheld the COVID-19 vaccine from New Yorkers. In a remark earlier, President Trump told reporters at the Rose Garden, White House that coronavirus vaccine will be widely available across the US with exception of New York State. Trump’s remarks came after New York's Andrew Cuomo said that he doesn’t trust the federal government and would set up his own panel to approve the COVID-19 vaccine.
“We cannot waste time and can only give to those states that will use the Vaccine immediately. Therefore the New York delay. Trump tweeted on November 14. Further, at a White House press conference, Trump told reporters that basis the Democratic governor’s previous statements it was clear that the vaccine wouldn't be immediately available to the people, and therefore, his administration will have to go ahead with supplying to states that urgently need it. "We can’t be delivering it to that state [New York]," Trump said at a live-streamed conference.
In response to Trump’s comments, New York governor Cuomo lashed out at an interview with CNN, telling Wolf Blitzer that the New Yorkers believed in Pfizer. “What the American folks don’t believe is Trump,” Cuomo stressed. “Trump politicized the general public well-being course of, which he did, that he politicized the NIH and the CDC and the FDA,” Cuomo said, in a live-streamed interview. He added, that there’s “skepticism about Trump and mistrust of Trump.” Further, Cuomo once again insisted to have a separate panel set up that will give these states “confidence”.
Seven-day average 32 % higher
In a separate interview, with MSNBC’s Katy Tur, Cuomo said that while he might plant trust factor with the vaccine manufacturer he simply does not trust the White House and the Trump administration. As of November 14, the US confirmed more than 194,000 cases of the novel coronavirus as the seven-day average of daily new infections jumped to 131,445 — 32 percent higher than the last week, according to John Hopkins data. Several states were mandating masks and imposing local restrictions to tamp down the hospitalizations and the transmission rate.
Updated 15:32 IST, November 15th 2020