New York coronavirus vaccine: what you need to know

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Weather situation: Nippy in the morning, but it warms up to around 50 under mostly sunny skies.

Parking on the alternate side: In effect until Tuesday (Immaculate Conception).

After tens of thousands of deaths in nine endless months, a vaccine against the coronavirus could soon arrive in New York. Those most vulnerable to Covid-19 could be among the first to receive doses.

If federal regulators allow Pfizer’s vaccine for emergency use, doses sufficient for 170,000 New Yorkers could arrive on December 15, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said at a press conference Wednesday.

And New York City is expected to have received around 480,000 doses by early January, a spokesperson for Mayor Bill de Blasio said. (There is likely some overlap between the doses that the city and state anticipate.)

[Which New Yorkers will be the first to get the vaccine?]

Still, Mr. Cuomo warned of the difficult days ahead. New hospitalizations for Covid-19 continue to increase, with 3,924 reported in the state on Wednesday, compared to 3,774 reported the day before.

Also on Wednesday, New York City reported a seven-day test positivity rate of 4.8% – its highest rate since May 29.

“The vaccination schedule is really the end of the game here,” Cuomo said, acknowledging that some people might be skeptical and initially resist taking a vaccine.

Here’s what you need to know:

The Food and Drug Administration must first approve the vaccines – one by Pfizer and one by Moderna – for emergency use. It was not immediately clear when the Moderna vaccine would arrive in the state or how many people it could cover.

Both pharmaceutical companies said trials show their vaccines are over 90% effective in fighting the coronavirus. Patients would need two doses.

Mr Cuomo said New York wanted to prioritize immunizations for medical professionals, nursing home residents and essential workers, as well as residents of hard-hit neighborhoods, most of whom are black or Hispanic.

The first vaccines would likely go to the estimated 210,000 people who live or work in nursing homes in New York City. As of July, more than 6,400 nursing home residents had died from Covid-19.

The state told the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that there are more than 800,000 critical health workers in New York City and they represent more than 4 percent of the population.

Getting all of these workers vaccinated could take some time, experts said. That leaves the timeline of the average New Yorker largely unknown.

Mihir Zaveri contributed reporting.

There’s more elbow room this year at Winter Village at Bryant Park, the holiday market that includes, to the delight of many children, a free ice rink.

Of course, that’s to be expected: the bazaar of vacation shops and food kiosks is a popular destination for tourists and office workers, but during the pandemic people were largely absent from Times Square and the rest of Midtown Manhattan.

The village is open weekdays from 11 am to 8 pm until January 3; it opens an hour earlier on weekends. Buyers can search for jewelry, clothing, artwork, and crafts, among others.

So far, the market only receives a third of the visitors it usually receives at this time of year, according to Irene Vagianos, vice president of the nonprofit Bryant Park Corporation, which manages the Park.

Partly by design. There are around 60 kiosks – normally around 175 vendors set up – and the temporary ice rink only allows around 200 people to skate at a time, instead of nearly 500, in an effort to maintain social distancing.

Skating is also a little more complicated than before. People must book tickets in advance, wear face masks, and wear a drawstring bag on the ice for their shoes unless they pay to check them. (There are no lockers this year because of the virus.)

Even with less foot traffic, Dan Biederman, president of Bryant Park Corporation, says demand has been robust, in part because the holiday markets in Union Square and Columbus Circle won’t open and theaters and other diversions are closed.

“There isn’t much to do in Manhattan,” he says.

“I can’t tell you how many people are thanking us.”

It’s Thursday – pullover time is here.

Dear Diary:

I had celebrated my 78th birthday with a few parents at my sister’s house in Connecticut. We ate, watched a video, opened gifts and talked. It was a beautiful day which ended with me taking a taxi to my apartment from the 125th Street station.

As I approached my building, I discovered that I wanted to make the day a little longer. I told the driver it was my birthday.

“Really?” He asked.

I had paid him and was about to get out of the cab when I noticed he was frantically looking for something. I was a little curious what he was doing, but I was mostly focused on the tricky task of getting out of the car.

“Happy Birthday!” he said awkwardly reaching for the back seat. Did he want me to shake it? I was confused.

“Look,” he said, opening the palm of his hand.

There was only one hard candy.

– Ellen Diamond

New York Today is published on weekdays around 6 a.m. register here to get it by email. You can also find it on nytoday.com.

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