Coronavirus NY: Cuomo gets COVID vaccine, encourages New Yorkers to do the same

NEW YORK (WABC) -- New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo gave a thumbs up amid a round of applause as he received the COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday in Manhattan.

Cuomo got the shot during an event in Harlem in which he toured the Mount Neboh Baptist Church vaccination site.

Cuomo received the one-shot vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson, which is less effective against recipients contracting the virus but provides strong protection against severe cases and death from COVID-19.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo received the one-shot COVID-19 vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson Wednesday and encouraged New Yorkers to do the same.

"I want to make the point: take whatever vaccine you can take. They all work. They are all safe. Don't try to pick one over the other. Take whatever vaccine you can get," Cuomo said.

The move was also meant to highlight the racial disparities in who is receiving the vaccinations and address a lack of trust towards the government among the Black community.

The governor noted that white people make up 53% of New York City's population and 56% of those who have been vaccinated are white.

While Black and Hispanic people make up 27% and 28% of the city's population, respectively, they represent just 19% and 21% of those vaccinated so far.

Minority communities were hit hard by COVID-19, Mount Neboh Baptist, in particular, lost 11 parishioners in a month, including nine from the coronavirus.

Mount Neboh Baptist Church, a fixture in its Harlem community, has lost 11 parishioners in the last month -- including nine from COVID-19.

Urban League President and CEO Marc Morial, NAACP New York President Hazel Dukes, and former congressman Charles Rangel all praised Cuomo's leadership during the coronavirus pandemic.

There was little to no mention of the sexual harassment allegations and nursing home scandals surrounding Cuomo at the event.

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