This signature makes us all safer.

It is freedom Friday; COVID takes a direct hit.

NY Governor Kathy Hochul signed an order that enables pharmacists to administer COVID vaccines to anyone for thirty days while the New York State government works out their response to the Federal MAGA/MAHA offensive against public health. I congratulate Gov Hochul on this.

I note that the signs went up in the CVS at 116th and Malcolm X in Harlem immediately; one could walk in and get COVID vaccinated when the pharmacy opened today. This means they already had vaccines in the fridge. They already had their promotional signs ready; their billing systems were ready to process the claims. They knew relief was on the way beforehand.

I wish I had known too, but I’m still happy with this evidence that there are still good people doing good work on COVID who are out of public view. Thank goodness for that.

Bravo CVS, bravo New York State Department of Health, bravo New York state pharmacists, brava Gov Hochul.

My goodness it is nice to have the government do something sane and helpful.

Last winter I was warning people, even while we still had a functional government, that they wouldn’t be able to get a COVID vaccine in the fall. My friends asked me if my mental health was okay. Was I working too much? Did I need some long walks on the beach?

Well, today, you still can’t get vaccinated for COVID in more than a dozen states, which means the virus will soon enjoy success in these vaccine deserts, which means more variants, which makes all COVID vaccines overall less effective. We won this battle, but the war is still on.

Kathy Hochul just saved lives. She won’t know who, no one will. Nevertheless, lives were saved by the government today with the stroke of a pen.

That happens too. It is good to be reminded.