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Former Biden COVID-19 Advisor Questions Governor Cuomo’s Decision To Relax Restrictions
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Sydney Pereira
Published Mar 5, 2021
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Kostas Lymperopoulos/CSM/Shutterstock
By
Sydney Pereira
Published Mar 5, 2021
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A former advisor for President Biden’s COVID-19 transition team said Governor Andrew Cuomo’s decision to relax public health restrictions is coming too soon, considering the spread of coronavirus variants across the country.
Dr. Céline Gounder, an epidemiologist and New York University infectious disease specialist, spoke with Gothamist/WNYC during the State of the People conference, an annual conference hosted by Public Advocate Jumaane Williams. In a wide-ranging conversation, Gounder said the variants—particularly the one from the United Kingdom—could threaten progress on beating back the pandemic. She anticipates another surge leading to hospitalizations and deaths related to the U.K. variant and said local governments should not be loosening restrictions on coronavirus at this pivotal moment.
To prepare for the long-game, she said pharmaceutical companies should expedite second-generation vaccines that account for the mutations in the variants. Pfizer and Moderna are already readying this arsenal through potential booster shots, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is creating a framework for overseeing the process. Johnson & Johnson had lower efficacy in South Africa, where that variant was dominant, but the company is still studying a two-dose version of its vaccine.
“This is really not the time,” Gounder said during the panel. “This is not the time to be opening up indoor dining or indoor bars or gyms. This is not the time to be having big indoor weddings, to be hosting big gatherings in person.”
I think we may be creating more pain for ourselves.
Dr. Céline Gounder, New York University infectious disease specialist
Various policy changes are hitting New York this month. Come March 22nd, residential outdoor gatherings can more than double, from 10 people to 25. Social hangouts in public places can rise from 50 people to 100 people indoors and 200 people outdoors. With certain COVID-19 testing requirements in place, weddings can hold 150 people starting March 15th, and events at arts and entertainment venues can include 150 people indoors starting April 2nd. Indoor dining has reopened at 35% capacity. Masks and social distancing are required.
READ MORE: City Health Official Says New NYC Variant Is A 'Reminder' To Stay Diligent
Other states are loosening restrictions far beyond New York state’s changes. Texas and Mississippi, for instance, are completely scrapping mask mandates. Gounder said we’re in a “critical phase” of the pandemic after a surge of infections during the holiday season. During a press briefing on Wednesday, Cuomo echoed Gounder on the pivotal nature of the current moment, but rather than keeping certain businesses closed, he said the state has to be “smart about the reopening.”
“This is not even necessarily a partisan issue where Republican governors are doing one thing, and Democratic governors are doing the other. I think everyone is under pressure from the business community to open things up again,” Gounder said, noting the country’s lack of adequate social and economic safety nets exacerbates the challenge. “It then really does become this choice between public health and the economy, and I think the politics of that are really what have formed [and] what have created this patchwork from state to state, county to county.”
A spokesperson for Governor Cuomo, Jack Sterne, said conflating Texas with New York is “irresponsible,” and the governor has said the choice between public health and the economy is a “false choice.”
“As opposed to other states like Texas—which recklessly reopened ‘100%’ this week, while repealing mask mandates—New York’s reopening remains a thoughtful and methodical process based on data, science, and safety, and conflating the two is irresponsible at best,” Sterne said. “Thanks to these smart decisions, more industries are reopening, while critical metrics like COVID test positivity, hospitalizations, ICU admissions, intubations, and fatalities are at their lowest points in months. As always, if the reality on the ground changes, we will take swift action.”
The nation is seeing cases plateau. A variant that originated from the United Kingdom—which is more contagious and dangerous—is currently rising in the U.S., including New York City. City health officials released data this week showing that during the week of February 15th, the U.K. variant rose to 7.9% of sequenced cases from 6.3% the week prior.
“Things are better, but they’re not back down to where they were even last summer when things were pretty bad,” she said. “I’m concerned because people are letting up their guard at a time when this new variant is spreading...I think we may be creating more pain for ourselves.”
READ MORE: Nearly Three Months Out, We Have A Clear Picture Of COVID-19 Vaccine Safety
During the panel discussion, Gounder also spoke about how government officials can rebuild trust with communities of color to ensure people have equitable access to the COVID-19 vaccine and feel confident enough to sign-up.
Solving vaccine inequities, which the city and state are already seeing, involves addressing supplies, distribution processes, and the demand for vaccines. Compounding the issue is the history of Black Americans and indigenous Americans, who have long faced marginalization by the government through enslavement and land appropriation.
“You can’t really focus only on one and not the others if you truly want to solve the equity challenge,” Gounder said. She said surveys show that Black and indigenous people, rural residents, and right-wing partisan Americans have the least confidence in vaccines. “The throughline across all those groups is a lack of trust in government.”
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