Andrew Cuomo warns Trump will botch vaccine breakthrough, wants Biden in charge now

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo urged presumed President-elect Joseph R. Biden to immediately take control of the coronavirus vaccine rollout because President Trump can’t be trusted.

The governor raised the alarm after Pfizer announced its vaccine proved 90% effective in a drug trial, a milestone in the quest to beat back the virus.

“We can’t let this vaccine plan go forward the way Trump is planning it,” Mr. Cuomo said Monday on ABC News’ “Good Morning America” show. “We need to fix it or stop it before it does damage.”

He said Pfizer’s announcement was “good news” because a vaccine was on the way.

“The bad news it’s about two months until Joe Biden becomes president,” said Mr. Cuomo.

Sen. Ben Sasse, a Nebraska Republican and outspoken critic of Mr. Trump, rebuked the governor for politicizing the vaccine.

“What on earth is Governor Cuomo talking about? This is great news and everyone — Republicans and Democrats and apolitical folks — should all be jointly thrilled about the possibility of an effective vaccine,” he said. “After this nasty virus has killed hundreds of thousands of Americans and put millions out of work, it is beyond disgusting that Governor Cuomo would use a glimmer of hope for another worn-out ’Trump is bad’ talking point.”

“When we get a vaccine, we’re going to need all hands on deck distributing it as fast as possible — shamelessly politicizing this is dangerous and stupid,” the senator said.

New York, with some the country’s strictest anti-coronavirus measures, has the second-highest per capita death toll from COVID-19, the potentially deadly disease caused by the novel coronavirus, among U.S. states. The Empire State recorded 173 deaths per 100,000 people, second-highest behind New Jersey, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

“When you deny a problem the way Trump did, you can never solve it,” Mr. Cuomo said. “There was no mobilization of the government and there still isn’t one.”