Governor Andrew Cuomo (D-NY) said Thursday that New York will perform its own review of potential coronavirus vaccines approved by the federal government as concerns mount that the process has been politicized, according to The New York Times.

• Cuomo’s announcement comes the day after President Donald Trump suggested the White House may reject new, tougher Food and Drug Administration standards for emergency vaccine approval.

“Frankly, I’m not going to trust the federal government’s opinion, and I wouldn’t recommend to New Yorkers, based on the federal government’s opinion,” Mr. Cuomo said at a news briefing.

• The Times reported that “New York officials do not play a role in the approval process for a possible vaccine, but under the current plan they would help determine how it would be distributed throughout the state.”
• The newspaper added that “In theory, officials could delay such distribution if they believed the vaccine was not safe.”

Polls have shown a remarkable decrease in the number of Americans who would be willing to take a vaccine once it is approved. A survey conducted this month by the Pew Research Center found that 51 percent of Americans would either probably or definitely take a vaccine, a significant drop from 72 percent in May.

Read the full report.