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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday launched an aggressive plan to vaccinate 1 million New Yorkers by the end of January, marking the largest vaccination effort in the city’s history.
“This city can do it. The incredible health professionals in this city are ready,” de Blasio said in a briefing.
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He detailed plans to expand into operational vaccination sites and set up new sites, or so-called “COVID-19 vaccination centers,” in community clinics and sites throughout the city.
“Our goal is to reach over 250 locations across the city,” de Blasio said.
“It’s going to take a lot of work, it’s going to take enormous urgency and focus,” he continued, detailing the help needed from the federal and state governments as well as from vaccine manufacturers.
The mayor said more than 88,000 New Yorkers have been vaccinated so far.
“We have to go overdrive now,” said de Blasio.
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The “decentralized grassroots effort” will involve immunization centers, expanded immunization at testing and tracing sites, and building the capacity of local organizations to do the work, all facilitated by the Command Center. vaccines.
De Blasio said the rich and privileged would not be allowed to “skip the line” for faster access to vaccines. The city’s first priority is high-risk healthcare workers, residents and nursing home staff.
In addition, New York City Health Commissioner Dr Dave Chokski said the goal was to double access points for vaccination within a month.
“Part of our strategy includes launching the city’s first vaccination centers in the coming weeks,” Chokski said. “These are city-run vaccination clinics that quickly established themselves as distribution points in school gymnasiums and other sites.”
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The health commissioner said the first sites will launch in mid-January, administering 45,000 doses per week with plans to expand if supply allows.
Site locations were selected and prioritized based on at-risk and hard-hit neighborhoods, “most often communities of color,” Chokski said.
Finally, de Blasio marked March 14 as a day of remembrance to recognize more than 25,000 New Yorkers lost to the new virus.
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