Edited By: TJV News
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced additional efforts to expand access to community-based vaccination sites at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn and York College in Queens being established through a partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
As part of this effort, the MTA launched a pilot program to enhance bus service in Brooklyn and Queens to connect New Yorkers in these boroughs to the two vaccination sites. The state will also partner with faith leaders in Brooklyn and Queens to launch a vaccination drive aimed at encouraging more members of the leaders’ communities to sign up for vaccination appointments at these sites using phone banking. These new initiatives are part of New York State’s ongoing efforts to fight vaccine hesitancy and bring the vaccine to communities underserved by traditional health care institutions.
The community-based vaccination sites located in Brooklyn and Queens will began vaccinations on Wednesday, February 24th and will operate between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. every day with the capacity to administer 3,000 doses at each site every day. Eligible New Yorkers can currently schedule appointments for the Brooklyn and Queens sites by utilizing New York’s ‘Am I Eligible’ website or by calling the state’s COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline at 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829).
Appointments can also be made by visiting the sites beginning on Wednesday February 24th . For the first week of scheduling, appointments at these two sites are initially reserved specifically for New Yorkers currently eligible for vaccination living in areas with low vaccination rates in counties and boroughs. After one week, appointments at each site will then be made available to all eligible residents of the site’s host borough.
“The vaccine is the weapon that will win the war, and we are working with our federal partners to make sure hard-hit communities have access to these life-saving shots,” Governor Cuomo said in a press release. “I encourage all eligible New Yorkers from these communities to schedule an appointment and get vaccinated.”
The new inoculation spots — open by appointment to eligible New Yorkers with nearby zip codes from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. — are part of a federal program aimed at helping hard-hit and hard-to-reach communities on a larger scale.
