De Blasio Blasts 'Insane' COVID Vaccine Lies, Resistance

NEW YORK CITY — A visibly frustrated Mayor Bill de Blasio took aim at COVID-19 vaccine holdouts and hinted the city's soft touch toward vaccinations could soon end.

De Blasio vented against vaccine lies and misinformation against during his daily briefing Tuesday.

He said calls to reinstate mask mandates as a solution to a Delta variant-driven spike in coronavirus cases obscured the true solution: vaccination.

"Somehow we're having a national dialogue that has become insane," he said. "We have the solution to the thing that is killing so many people and is now threatening, once again, our ability for people to make a living. Why is this hard? Just go get vaccinated."

“We’ve got to be blunt about it: you’re not getting vaccinated, you’re actually causing harm to other people,” he said.

Coronavirus cases in the city now average 576 a day — more than twice the numbers about a month ago, data shows.

The growing numbers coincide with the more-contagious Delta variant's spread. Experts fear it could spawn a so-called "pandemic of the unvaccinated" in isolated communities — or states — where fewer people have received shots.

For days, de Blasio has faced calls by some city officials to reinstate mask mandates. But Hizzoner and his top health officials have emphasized that vaccinations are the best solution to avoid another coronavirus resurgence, especially amid the city's nascent reopening.

De Blasio said he'll have an announcement this week reflecting a new approach toward vaccinations. He noted the city won't completely abandon its "inviting, welcoming and incentivizing" strategy.

“But we’re looking at everything because we’ve got to get people vaccinated.”

“This is literally a matter of life and death,” he said.

Roughly 9.76 million doses of coronavirus vaccine have gone into arms in New York City so far. The city is approaching 60 percent of all residents who have received at least one dose, according to data.