NY finds UK virus variant

NY finds UK virus variant

FILE - In this July 27, 2020, file photo, nurse Kathe Olmstead prepares a shot that is part of a possible COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the National Institutes of Health and Moderna Inc., in Binghamton, N.Y. Moderna said Monday, Nov. 16, 2020, its COVID-19 shot provides strong protection against the coronavirus that's surging in the U.S. and around the world. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink, File)

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — In an effort to speed up what has been a sluggish rollout of the coronavirus vaccine, New York’s governor threatened Monday to fine hospitals up to $100,000 if they don’t finish their first round of inoculations by the end of the week. Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the threat hours before announcing the discovery of the state’s first known case of a new, more contagious variant of the virus. The governor said a man in his 60s who works at a jewelry store in Saratoga Springs tested positive for the variant. The discovery seemed to underscore the need for more urgency in a vaccination campaign that has, so far, moved at a snail’s pace.

(AP Photo/Hans Pennink, File)