COVID-19 vaccine recipients can use their vaccination card to pick
up a free mini cheesecake from Junior’s. Junior’s Restaurant
COURIER LIFE, APRIL 2-8, 2021 3
BY ROSE ADAMS
Recipients of the
COVID-19 vaccine aren’t
only protected from a deadly
virus — they’re also eligible
for a free cheesecake!
Beloved pastry purveyors
at Junior’s Restaurant
in Downtown Brooklyn will
begin offering cupcakesized
cheesecakes to anyone
who’s received the vaccine
beginning on Monday,
hoping the new baked goods
initiative will encourage locals
to get inoculated.
“We wanted to do our
small part to advocate for
getting the vaccine, and we
noticed some people have
been hesitant, so we saw
an opportunity through
an avenue we know best
— our cheesecake!” said
owner Alan Rosen, whose
grandfather opened the
restaurant in 1950. “If our
mini cheesecakes can get
these folks one step closer
to getting the vaccine, then
we are grateful.”
Anyone who has received
a shot of the
COVID-19 jab can bring
their vaccination card to
Juniors’ outpost at the intersection
of Flatbush Avenue
Extension and DeKalb
Avenue to pick up their
free dessert anytime between
March 29 and Memorial
Day weekend.
Hungry Brooklynites
can also pick up other
scores of sweet treats with
a vaccine — as donut makers
at Krispy Kreme are offering
free pastries to any
vaccinated individuals,
although their initiative
touched off a fi ery debate
on Twitter over the chain’s
nutritional prowess.
Junior’s 140-calorie
mini cheesecakes are miniature
versions of the Original
New York Cheesecake.
The desserts are made
with cream cheese, heavy
cream, eggs, and a touch
of vanilla atop a layer of
spongecake, according to
Rosen, who said that the
restaurant has done everything
in its power to
encourage getting the vaccine.
“We’ve even offered our
own employees two paid
days off to get their vaccine!”
he said. “That’s how
important we think this
is. We’re willing to put our
cheesecake behind it!”
REUTERS
Junior’s to offer
free cheesecakes to
vaccine recipients
A VACCINE
around New York City include
the Javits Center in Manhattan,
the Aqueduct Racetrack
in Queens, and Jones Beach
on Long Island. The city, on
the other hand, is administering
doses at dozens of hospitals
and medical centers around
the Five Boroughs.
Additionally, New Yorkers
over 30 years of age can make
appointments at some pharmacies
like Walgreens, Duane
Reade, Rite Aid, and Costco
using the city’s website and
phone number.
• To book an appointment
at a state-run site, go to www.
covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov
or call 1-833-NYS-4-VAX
• To book an appointment
at a city-run site, go to www.
vaccinefi nder.nyc.gov or call
1-877-VAX-4NYC
In response to the frustration
New Yorkers have
expressed in getting an appointment
on either website,
a volunteer has set up an independent
website that more
clearly displays where appointments
are and are not
available at turbovax.info.
The website www.nycvaccinelist.
com also assists New
Yorkers in fi nding and making
appointments.
The city is working to vaccinate
homebound seniors by
traveling to their residences
and administering the Johnson
& Johnson vaccine, which
only requires one dose.
Homebound seniors interested
in getting the coronavirus
vaccine can call 877-VAX-
4NYC or visit vax4nyc.nyc.gov.
What you’ll need when
you get there
The vaccine is 100 percent
free for New Yorkers, but you
must come with proof of residence
and eligibility.
• If you are eligible based
on your age, you must show
proof of age and New York residency.
Proof of age may include:
Driver’s license or nondriver
ID, such as IDNYC.
• If you’re eligible via your
work, proof of employment is
a must. This can include an
employee ID card or badge, a
letter from an employer or affi
liated organization, or a pay
stub, depending on specifi c
priority status.
• If you’re one of the millions
now eligible due to comorbidities,
you do not need
a doctor’s note (but with reports
that patients have been
wrongly turned away, if you
have one — it won’t hurt). You
will, however, have to sign a
self attestation (be it this one
from the state, or another version
based on where your appointment
is made for).
Our advice
First thing’s fi rst: Check in
with your primary care doctor.
Many doctors and local clinics
have the ability to schedule for
patients, or even offer vaccination
themselves.
If you’re going to online
route: Keep trying. As eligibility
increases, so does supply.
Getting an appointment will
require lots of perseverance
and an even greater supply of
luck. We know the process can
be daunting, but with greater
vaccine supply said to be on
the horizon, we recommend refreshing,
refreshing, refreshing.
And, if there’s a phone
number, keep calling.
Both the city- and state-run
registration websites add appointments
regularly — and
most of the big drops tend to
take place each Wednesday afternoon.
Some New Yorkers
have also cited bulk openings
on Saturdays. We recommend
checking out Twitter accounts
like @TurboVax and @nycshotslots,
and (if you have an
account) opting in for notifi cations
from both users.
Sugar high!
/covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov
/nder.nyc.gov
/vax4nyc.nyc.gov
