By Hellen Zaboulani

The city of New York is now actively recruiting recipients for the COVID-19 vaccination.  In an effort to increase the city’s overall herd immunity, protect the populous from the life-threatening virus, and reopen, the city is offering incentives in the form of free tickets to coveted venues and events.  Free tickets are available for Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Cyclones baseball games, botanical gardens and other events.  “Each person who gets vaccinated helps move everything forward,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a Monday briefing. “We’ve gotten to the point where supply exceeds demand.”

Thankfully, we have reached a new chapter and New Yorkers no longer need to fight for a chance to receive the immunization.    The rate of shots administered, however, is falling, as the demand is dwindling.  The Mayor said that NYC has already administered over 7 million shots.  The rate of recipients, however, has dropped significantly since last month, when it had been doling out up to 115,000 vaccinations per day.  On Friday May 7, less than 60,000 shots were distributed, and on Sunday less than 16,000 shots were given.

As reported by Crains NY, Mayor de Blasio has vowed to reach 5 million fully vaccinated NYC residents by next month. Current, 3 million residents are vaccinated. To get things moving, the city is now allowing walk-in vaccinations without an appointment, and has been talking about offering added incentives.  The Mayor stopped short when questioned, clarifying that he doesn’t foresee the city offering cash incentives, and also does not expect to dole out penalties to those who don’t vaccinate.

NYC is not alone in its quest to entice residents to get the shot in the arm.  President Joe Biden is having virtual meetings on Tuesday with six governors throughout the nation- Democratic and Republican.  The goal is to get 70 percent of adults at least partially vaccinated by July 4.  The President’s meeting with governors of Ohio, Utah, Massachusetts, Maine, Minnesota and New Mexico, will offer ideas about how to achieve the lofty goal.  New Jersey already has a campaign that gives a free beer to those who get vaccinated.  New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo also joined in with incentives, announcing last week that fans at Citi Field and Yankee Stadium who get the vaccine at the ballpark will get a free ticket for a future game, courtesy of the Mets and Yankees.