Page 38 - HOH

u.s. news Diamars 19 Januari 2021
A27

NY gov explores buying virus vaccine directly from maker

(AP) — Frustrated by the An inquiry was sent to HHS
flow of coronavirus vac- representatives about Cuo-
cine from the federal gov- mo’s proposal on Monday,
ernment, Gov. Andrew the federal Martin Luther
Cuomo on Monday float- King Jr. holiday.
ed the idea of buying shots Under the current system,
for New Yorkers directly HHS allocates vaccine doses
from one of the vaccine to states and ships them. The
makers, Pfizer. federal Food and Drug Ad-
ministration’s emergency-
The idea seemed far from a based authorization for the
sure bet, with the pharma- Pfizer vaccine specifies that it
ceutical giant saying it would will be supplied “as directed
need federal approval to sell by the U.S. government.”
to state governments. If that The federal government has
were to happen, the cost and been paying $19.50 per dose
amount have yet to be be dis- for the Pfizer vaccine and has
cussed. ordered 200 million doses so
Regardless, Cuomo said he far, enough to give the two-
felt compelled to broach the shot regimen to 100 mil-
idea as his state, like many lion people. Other nations
others, faces tough vaccine around the world have also
math. At the current pace of placed orders.
federal vaccine shipments Earlier in the pandemic,
to New York, it could take Cuomo complained last
six months or more to get “My job as governor of New “could help us save lives right and Human Services Depart- spring about U.S. states com-
shots to the 7 million resi- York is to pursue every av- here in New York.” ment on getting the shots as peting against one another, or
dents already eligible under enue, and that’s what I’m Pfizer Inc., which developed quickly as possible to as many being outbid by the federal
federal guidelines, let alone doing,” the Democratic gov- one of the current vaccines Americans as it could. government, for then-scarce
the roughly 12 million other ernor said at a virtual news with German partner Bi- “However, before we can sell protective gear and ventila-
New Yorkers. Residents have conference as he released a oNTech, said in a statement directly to state governments, tors. At the time, he called
been scrambling to try to get letter he’d written to New that it appreciated Cuomo’s HHS would need to approve on the federal government
the shots, with many getting York-based Pfizer about his praise and was open to work- that proposal,” the company to nationalize medical supply
shut out and upset. idea. He told the company it ing with the federal Health said. acquisition of those items.

Carl Icahn nixes charity bid to blow up ex-Trump casino

(AP) — An auction house presented a safety risk, and
trying to raise money for we were always clear that we
a youth charity by solicit- would not participate in any
ing bids to blow up a for- way,” a spokesman for Icahn
mer casino once owned by said in a statement.
President Donald Trump Last month, Atlantic City
called off the effort Mon- Mayor Marty Small an-
day after receiving a nounced the auction as a
cease-and-desist letter fundraising mechanism he
from conservative billion- hoped would raise in excess
aire Carl Icahn. of $1 million for the orga-
nization. Opened in 1984,
Icahn told The Associated Trump’s former casino was
Press his philanthropic arm closed in 2014 and has fallen
will donate $175,000 to the into such a state of disrepair
Boys and Girls Club of At- that demolition work be-
lantic City to replace money gan last year. The remainder
that would have been raised of the structure was to have
by a charity auction of the been dynamited on Jan. 29,
right to press the button to but that date has been pushed
demolish the former Trump back. Small said he will an-
Plaza casino. nounce the new demolition
He owns the former casino, date on Thursday.
which has been in the process The auction house said Mon-
of demolition for months. day it had no choice but to
Icahn’s decision came shortly cancel the auction after hear- Small acknowledged the in a prime spot at the center company out of bankruptcy
after Bodnar’s Auction can- ing from Icahn’s company. auction’s cancellation and of Atlantic City’s Boardwalk court in February 2016.
celed its solicitation of bids, “After exhausting every av- praised Icahn for replacing where the Atlantic City Ex-
citing a letter from Icahn’s enue to bring the parties the money it would have pressway deposited cars en-
company instructing it not to together to make this excit- raised. tering the resort. It was the
proceed with the auction be- ing event happen, we re- “We agree with Mr. Icahn that site of many high-profile box-
cause it considered the public ceived the final decision from public safety is paramount,” ing matches, which Trump
“spectacle” to be a safety risk, (Icahn) that we must cease he said. “It is very important would regularly attend.
with the possibility of fly- and desist,” Bodnar Auctions that we maintain a positive Trump cut most ties with
ing debris injuring the per- wrote in a post on its website. relationship with Mr. Icahn Atlantic City in 2009 aside
son pressing the demolition Company owner Joseph because the next conversa- from a 10% fee for the use of
button, or others gathered Bodnar told The Associated tion we need to have is what his name on what were then
nearby. “From the beginning, Press Monday he is working should be developed there.” three casinos in the city. That
we thought the auction and with Small to come up with Trump, then a real-estate de- stake was extinguished when
any other related spectacle a future auction “if possible.” veloper, opened the casino Icahn took ownership of the