New York pleads for more COVID-19 vaccine as daily U.S. death toll hits record

New York pleads for more COVID-19 vaccine as daily U.S. death toll hits record As the United States recorded its highest single-day death toll since the coronavirus pandemic began nearly a year ago, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday said the city would fall short of its inoculation goals unless it could get more vaccine. Peter Szekely U.S.

NEW YORK (Reuters) - As the United States recorded its highest single-day death toll since the coronavirus pandemic began nearly a year ago, New York Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday said the city would fall short of its inoculation goals unless it could get more vaccine.

The mayor said short supplies were hampering New York City’s efforts to increase its immunization campaign. His appeal comes as the country as a whole struggles to meet an overall goal, with vaccinations now running far behind a target of 20 million people by now.

“We need the federal government, the state government and the manufacturers to step up and get us more supply immediately,” de Blasio said at a briefing.

The country’s most populous city is adding vaccination sites across its five boroughs, including its two Major League Baseball parks, and has succeeded in loosening restrictions on who is eligible for vaccination, de Blasio said.

Both New York and California have opened inoculations to healthy people as young as 65.

New York is on track to inoculate 1 million of its more than 8 million residents by the end of the month, but only if it gets enough vaccine, he said.

###