EDITORIAL
FINDING FOOTING
Everything is riding on the COVID-19 vaccine
— the serum looked upon as the necessity
toward bringing life back to what used to be
called ordinary.
It didn’t take very long after the initial rollout of
the vaccine, in December, before the snags surfaced.
First, too many shots but not enough people getting
them. Then, as the eligibility criteria widened, there
weren’t enough shots to go around.
The federal government, under the former president,
promised a lot, but delivered little when it
came toward vaccine distribution. Under new management,
however, things appear to be making a
turn for the better — if ever so slowly.
More vaccines are coming to New York, though a
far cry to meet the demand here. The state’s getting
300,000 doses over the next three weeks, and tens of
thousands of them are going to the new vaccine hub
that opened at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx and
Citi Field in Queens.
Restaurant workers are also able to get the vaccine
now under a change of priority made after Governor
Andrew Cuomo’s faux pas last week, when he
initially dismissed the idea because there weren’t
enough shots to go around. Now that the additional
shots are coming, Cuomo said, the restaurant
workers can get their shots.
Work is also underway to address the startling
disparity in who’s getting the vaccine, as the city reported
earlier this week that not enough Black and
Latino New Yorkers are getting access to the lifesaving
shot.
The city and state are opening additional vaccine
hubs in communities of color, operated by SOMOS
Community Care, the nonprofit team of physicians,
nurses and other healthcare workers directly
serving the Latino community.
The pieces of the puzzle are coming together.
Now New York really needs the federal government
to deliver the knockout blow to COVID-19.
That can happen with the emergency FDA approval
of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson COVID-19
vaccine, due in mid-February. The Biden administration
should also champion emergency regulation
changes that allow other American pharmaceutical
companies the ability to produce the Pfizer and
Moderna vaccines on their own without infringing
upon their patents.
We’re getting closer to the end of the crisis by the
day, and we must do our part by getting the COVID-
19 vaccine when we are eligible. It’s the safest, best
hope we have of restoring and rebuilding our city
and country.
HOW TO REACH US
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.12 COM | FEB. 12-FEB. 18, 2021
NORTHEAST QUEENS NEEDS A VACCINE SITE!
At this time, northeast
Queens has no established
vaccination sites to protect
people from the COVID-19
virus. This impacts our seniors
and people with serious pre-existing
conditions who have difficulty
getting to other sites in the
city, even if they could get an appointment
for a shot.
The unreliable supply of the
actual vaccine, the unavailability
of appointments to get a shot
and the threat of more potent
strains of the virus could increase
the possibility of super
spreading, complications, or
death. Those who are very vulnerable
to this virus in northeast
Queens have been left in
the lurch.
Our elected officials and local
civic and community groups
have been trying to rectify this
situation. Letters have gone out
to the mayor and the governor,
and the situation has been discussed
at meetings and press
conferences. Unfortunately, as
of the date of writing this letter
to the editor, the problem persists
and the danger to people in
northeast Queens communities
is real.
Many vaccination sites have
been suggested for this area —
senior and community centers,
churches, synagogues and other
houses of worship, and drug
stores have all been discussed
as possibilities — but nothing
has come to pass yet.
Our new president has inherited
a very difficult situation
with this tragic pandemic and I
know that he is doing his best to
speed up the distribution of the
vaccine to all. In the meantime,
as we wait for the vaccine to
become more readily available
and for additional vaccination
sites to open, we must take care
to protect ourselves and others
by continuing to wear masks,
practicing social distancing and
making an effort to avoid large
crowds and gatherings.
Henry Euler,
Bayside
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We’re getting closer to the end of the crisis by the day, and we must do our part by getting the COVID-19 vaccine
when we are eligible. Photo by Dean Moses
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