Searching for sites
BY ROSE ADAMS
The city will not open
a mass COVID-19 vaccination
site at Coney
Island’s MCU Park because
of technical issues
with the venue — but
health honchos are now
considering opening an
inoculation hub at the
neighborhood’s New
York Aquarium, according
to a local politico.
“I’m told they will
send a crew to inspect the
infrastructure there, just
like they did with MCU
Park,” Councilmember
Mark Treyger told Brooklyn
Paper on Feb. 16.
City health offi cials
fi rst considered using
the home of the Brooklyn
Cyclones as the fi rst
vaccine center south of
Sunset Park in January,
but inspectors ruled the
location out because of
its incompatible electrical
system, Treyger said.
Now offi cials will reportedly
conduct a walkthrough
inspection of the
nearby aquarium, which
Treyger hailed as an ideal
location because of its
sprawling outdoor space.
Representatives for
the New York Aquarium
said they didn’t have information
about the city’s
plan to open a vaccination
site. A spokesman for
the Department of Health
neither confi rmed nor denied
the report.
“We continue to seek
creative new ways to provide
vaccinations to New
Yorkers where they are,”
said Patrick Gallahue. “As
new sites are able to come
online — which is supply
dependent — we will continue
to announce them.”
Southern Brooklyn
COURIER LIFE, F 16 EBRUARY 19-25, 2021
currently houses only
a handful of city- and
state-run vaccination
sites, including a mass
vaccine hub at the Brooklyn
Army Terminal in
Sunset Park, a state-run
hub at Abraham Lincoln
High School in Coney Island,
and a city-run vaccination
program at Coney
Island Hospital.
New Yorkers over 65
can also get a jab at private
practices and pharmacies,
such as Rite Aid and
Walgreens, with appointments
booked on the city’s
vaccine tracker. To hasten
the vaccine’s rollout
among seniors, offi cials
have also set up clinics
outside Warbasse Houses
in Coney Island and a retirement
home in Manhattan,
and will continue
adding small vaccination
centers to senior homes
across the Five Boroughs,
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced
last week.
The efforts come after
a slow start to the city’s
vaccination rollout. A
shortage of vaccines has
forced inoculation hubs
to temporarily close,
even as the state opens
new sites and expands
eligibility. As of Sunday,
New Yorkers with underlying
health conditions,
such as cancer, heart disease,
or obesity, are eligible
for the vaccine.
As of Tuesday morning,
just 2,380 residents
living in the 11224 zip
code, which covers Coney
Island, have received
their fi rst dose — leaving
94 percent of residents
who have not gotten
the injection. Citywide,
411,706 adult New York
residents have received
at least one dose, and
303,709 have received
both, according to city
data.
Meanwhile, the city
and state’s confusing
scheduling systems have
made it diffi cult for residents
— and particularly
seniors — to make
appointments. Seniors
have complained that
the city’s vaccine fi nder
will say that no appointments
are available without
allowing them to sign
up for a waitlist, while
others have struggled
to make appointments
at state-run pop-up sites
because of last minute
scheduling changes.
But despite the vaccine
shortage and the
scheduling issues, de
Blasio stood behind the
city’s effort to continue
opening vax hubs.
“This is the kind of effort
we need to get down
to the grassroots and get
to folks who need help
the most,” the mayor
said Tuesday.
MCU Park will not become vax site, but
New York Aquarium under consideration: pol
MCU Park will not be used as a vax site. Wikimedia Commons
Initial visit with coupon only. Must mention at time of appointment. Excludes house calls. Expires 4/30/19
02/26/2021
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