Mayor de Blasio mulls vaccination sites at NYC schools
New York City could set up vaccination sites at public schools, Mayor de Blasio said Tuesday.
All options are on the table, he said, as about 20,000 kids ages 12 to 15 in the city have gotten their first COVID shots.
“It’s worth a look, for sure,” Hizzoner said of the idea, which came from Councilman Mark Levine (D-Manhattan). “We’re going to look at, as always, different options about what’s the best way to reach people.”
Last week, U.S. regulators approved Pfizer and Moderna shots for 12- to 15-year-olds. Since then, about 600,000 people in that age group have gotten jabbed nationwide, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
While de Blasio said he’s pleased at the number of youths in the city who have gotten shots so far, Levine pointed out the potential advantages of making the vaccine available at schools.
“It’s just not practical for a lot of families to go, after school, to a mass vax [site] that may be far from their home that closes at 6,” he told the Daily News.
“We have a really great opportunity now over the next month while kids are still coming to school buildings every day to get as many as possible vaccinated,” added Levine, who chairs the Council’s Health Committee.
He noted some parents may be fine getting vaccinated themselves, but still have reservations about signing up their kids for shots.
Making vaccines available at schools would “validate this as needed and safe for kids,” the councilman said.
More than 7.6 million COVID vaccine shots had been given out citywide as of Tuesday morning, according to de Blasio, contributing to a steady decrease in the infection rate.
At his press conference, Hizzoner touted a new incentive to get jabbed.
People who get vaccinated at a site outside the Barclays Center in Brooklyn will get free Nets merchandise and a chance at playoff tickets, he said.
“This is going to be another extraordinary effort to get people vaccinated, make everyone safe,” de Blasio said as he sported a Nets cap and jersey.
Free rewards for getting vaccinated already on offer range from Mets and Yankees tickets to grub from Shake Shack.
