HEADING FOR THE EXITS

9 Top New York Public-Health Officials Quit After Cuomo Spurns COVID Advice

The New York Times reports senior officials say the governor has declared war on his own public-health department.

At least nine senior New York state public-health officials have exited from their posts amid reports that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has declared war on his own health department. The New York Times reports that since the summer, nine senior health officials have resigned, retired, or quit their positions to take jobs in other states despite the raging pandemic in the state. Among the list of departures is the state’s former deputy commissioner for public health and the former medical director for epidemiology. According to the Times, many of the departed officials said they believe they have been sidelined or disrespected during the COVID-19 pandemic, with others saying Cuomo has prioritized his own beliefs on how the pandemic and vaccine policy should roll out across the state. Some sources even told the Times that Cuomo has refused to use existing COVID-19 plans and has gone rogue by rolling out the vaccine through large hospital systems. “Morale certainly was and continues to be at an all-time low,” one former health official said.