New York, Jan 23 (IANS): Governor Andrew Cuomo has assured New Yorkers that a second dose of the Covid-19 vaccine will be available.

"New Yorkers who have already received their first dose do not have to worry that they will not be able to get their 2nd dose. Second dose allocation is a separate process," Xinhua news agency quoted the New York Governor as saying in a statement on Friday.

"We always ensure there are enough second doses to complete vaccination for those who got 1st shot.

"New York State will use up our 1st dose vaccine allocations today. But our next allocation is coming throughout the week. As it arrives, we'll get more shots in arms ASAP.

"Providers should only schedule appointments for allocations they know they'll receive. We want to avoid all cancellations," he added.

Cuomo also announced that as of Friday, 97 per cent of the first doses New York received from Weeks 1-5 deliveries have been administered, excluding federal Long Term Care Facility Program.

The Governor also welcomed the change of administration in Washington, D.C., tweeting that "on day one, the new administration has joined the Covid fight with common sense policies we have advocated for all along: wear a mask, institute international travel procedures and increase production of needed supplies".

"It feels great to have competent leadership in Washington," he added.

Also on Friday, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio tweeted that the city has "vaccinated more people than the population of Salt Lake City last week. We're burning through our supply".

"We need more doses immediately so we can protect the most vulnerable residents in our city. We need more doses so we can fight back," the Mayor added.

The state of New York has so far reported 1,344,365 coronavirus cases and 42,074 deaths.