Governor Cuomo Issues Letter to Secretary of Health and Human Services Urging Equity and Expeditious Distribution of COVID-19 Vaccine Program
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo and a coalition of groups today issued a letter to Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar calling for a fair and equitable federal vaccination program. The current federal distribution program still remains focused on a misguided distribution plan which ignores Black, Brown, Asian and poor communities. Under the leadership of Governor Cuomo, New York has fought to modify the plan to engage community and faith-based leaders to instill confidence in the vaccine, and assist with its distribution to these historically underserved communities.
«As we approach the start of the COVID-19 vaccination program, I continue to urge the federal government to amend their plans to include equitable distribution in the communities hardest hit by the pandemic,» Governor Cuomo said. «Black, Hispanic, Asian and low-income communities paid the highest price during COVID-19. Historically underserved by healthcare institutions, it is up to the federal government to rectify their program to focus on providing these communities with the highest quality care and access to the vaccine. With the first round of vaccines being distributed as soon as next week, there is no time to waste. I urge the administration to act and provide solutions quickly.»
The full text of the letter is below:
December 10, 2020
Dear Secretary Azar:
We stand together in expressing serious concern with the Trump administration’s vaccine distribution plan. While we are encouraged by recent reports regarding the vaccines’ efficacy, there is urgent work to be done to ensure vaccination efforts are both expeditious and fair.
Governors need federal funding in order to execute comprehensive distribution plans to guarantee that all communities have access to the vaccine. The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials estimates that a comprehensive vaccine distribution program would cost approximately $8 billion. To date, the Trump Administration has administered a mere $200 million to the states.
Without adequate funding, distribution will not be equitable. COVID-19 has laid bare chronic health disparities in our country that led communities of color to suffer disproportionately from this virus. Communities of color disproportionately suffer from pre-existing conditions, such as asthma, obesity and hypertension, that compound the harm the virus can cause — Black Americans died at twice the rate of white Americans due to COVID, and Latinos died at one and a half times the rate of whites. The underlying reality is that communities of color lack access to healthcare institutions and services. But in its current form, the Trump Administration’s vaccine plan relies on private health facilities that have historically excluded Black and brown communities. By relying on a flawed, biased system, the administration’s approach will only serve to further widen existing disparities in health outcomes.
The essential workers who carried this nation through the worst of this pandemic are predominately people of color. They especially deserve a national vaccine plan designed to ensure they are protected.
Marc Morial, undersigned and the President and CEO of the National Urban League, has said the Trump Administration’s plan is, «thoughtless, careless and needs to be taken back to the drawing board.» Derrick Johnson, undersigned and President and CEO of the NAACP, has said that, «any introduction of a vaccine plan devoid of the infrastructure we know is effective within the Black community reinforces the same incompetence that has affected far too many communities that have been neglected in the midst of this global pandemic.» The Reverend Al Sharpton, undersigned and the President and Founder of National Action Network said, «I’ve seen this movie before. Many Black Americans live in healthcare deserts, where there are no hospitals or healthcare centers in our area. This has hurt us badly during the COVID crisis. This unfair treatment is about to happen again. I don’t see how we will see equal distribution of the vaccine based on the federal plan. That must be fixed immediately.»
The Black and brown communities that were first on the list of who died from COVID cannot be last on the list of who receives the vaccine. Our federal government needs to stand up and deliver a world-class vaccination program that quickly and comprehensively reaches underserved communities of color. The private market alone is incapable. We need to enlist faith-based organizations, neighborhood groups and local non-profits with deep roots in Black, brown and poor communities to get this done. And we need the funding to do so.
This pandemic cannot end, and our country will not truly be safe, until everyone has access to a vaccine. The Trump Administration must implement a national vaccine plan that does not leave any community behind, and it must do so now. Time is short. We stand prepared to work with your team and the federal government to execute a vaccination program worthy of these United States.