City pushes to get kids vaxxed for school
Mayor promises ‘major’ campaign aimed toward children eligible for the COVID vaccine
St. John’s athlete selected in MLB draft
BT TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | JULY 30–AUGUST 5, 2021 21
BY ALEJANDRA
O'CONNELL-DOMENECH
The city plans on undertaking
a “major” campaign to
educate parents about the COVID
19 vaccine and to get eligible
children vaccinated ahead
of full return to classrooms on
Sept. 13, Mayor Bill de Blasio
said on Tuesday.
“A lot of parents are going
to take it upon themselves because
they know vaccination
is widely available and free,”
de Blasio told reporters during
a press conference. “We’re
going to also be doing a major,
major campaign to alert parents,
educate them, bring them
in, make it easy for them.”
Details on the plan will be announced
in weeks ahead of the
start of school.
The mayor urged New Yorkers
who have still not received
the shot to get a COVID-19 vaccine
as overall vaccination
rates continue to slow down
across the country. The groups
with the slowest vaccination
rate are children between the
ages of 12 and 18, who became
eligible for the Pfizer vaccine
in late May. Over 9,757,650 vaccinations
have been administered
across the five boroughs,
according to city data.
“We got to build it up, we
got to make it more consistent,”
de Blasio said before
reporting that the number of
new coronavirus cases across
the five boroughs has been going
up. On Tuesday, the number
of new cases based on a
seven-day rolling average has
now reached 576; 90 New York
City residents were admitted
to a hospital with possible COVID
19 symptoms with almost
25 percent of them testing positive
for the virus; and the city’s
COVID positivity rate has
reached 1.72 percent.
The yet-to-be-announced
campaign comes as parents,
students and educators become
increasingly worried
about the city’s school opening
plan this fall. A growing number
of parents and Councilman
Mark Treyger are calling for
the Department of Education
to offer a fully remote option
particularly for children who
are not eligible for the vaccine.
“DOE should offer a fall
remote option for kids not of
vaccination age and have it
run by central rather than by
individual schools,” Treyger
tweeted. “I support 5 days a
week in person instruction for
all, but we need to follow science
and adjust accordingly
while providing flexibility for
families.”
Calls are also coming out
of concern of the COVID delta
variant — which now accounts
for 83 percent of new
COVID infections — and due
to a lack of distrust in the
city’s ability to abide by health
and safety protocols come September,
a handful of parents
told amNew York Metro.
Reach reporter Alejandra
O'Connell-Domenech by email
at adomenech@schnepsmedia.
com.
Courtesy of Getty Images”
BY QNS STAFF
St. John’s University’s
left-handed pitcher Nick Mondak
has been selected by the
Los Angeles Angels with the
No. 531 overall pick in the
18th round of the 2021 Major
League Baseball First-Year
Player Draft.
Mondak is the only player
from the St. John’s program
to be selected in the MLB 2021
draft after no player from
the school was picked in the
professional baseball league
draft last year. He is also the
12th Red Storm hurler since
2015 to be selected in the MLB
draft.
“We’re so happy for Nick
and this amazing opportunity
that has been presented to
him,” St. John’s baseball team
head coach Mike Hampton
said. “He’s a tremendous talent
and a natural leader that
will represent St. John’s well
at the next level.”
Mondak earned a spot on
the All-Big East First Team in
2021 after going 4-3 with a 1.92
earned run average (ERA) in
11 starts at the top of the Red
Storm rotation. In 65.2 innings
of work, the lefty struck out 74
batters and surrendered only
18 walks.
Ranked 13th in the NCAA
for ERA at season’s end, Mondak
allowed just 13 extra-base
hits and held opponents to a
.248 batting average. He recorded
no fewer than 5.0 innings
in any one appearance
and threw 6.0 or more frames
in eight of those 11 outings.
Mondak recorded a seasonhigh
10 strikeouts this year
and punched out eight or more
batters four times. He also
fanned five or more batters in
all but one of his 11 starts with
the team.
Over the past several decades,
St. John’s has been one
of the northeast’s premier
programs in terms of sending
talent to the next level. From
2010-19, Red Storm studentathletes
accumulated 39 draft
picks, the highest totals in the
northeast or the Big East.
When no Johnnies heard
their names called during the
five-round 2020 MLB draft,
it marked the first summer
since 1976 that no St. John’s
players were drafted or signed
to a free-agent professional
contract.
“I doubt there are many
other players in the draft that
have overcome more adversity
throughout their college careers
than Nick, but he never
complained,” Hampton said.
“He just always put his head
down and got better.”
After making just one appearance
in his first two seasons
with the program due
to injury, Mondak returned
to the mound in 2019 and put
together an impressive campaign.
In 10 appearances, Mondak
went 2-3 with a 3.86 earned
run average. He struck out 34
batters and walked only 16,
holding opponents to a .240
batting average in the process.
Over his last six outings that
spring, Mondak racked up 30
strikeouts and allowed just
seven walks.
During the shortened 2020
season, he turned in a 4.29
earned run average against
strong early season competition,
including a no-decision
against Cal that the Red Storm
turned into a victory. He
punched out 21 batters in 21.0
innings of work.
Mondak has deep athletic
roots in his family, as his cousin,
Kyle Nolan, played quarterback
at Georgetown, and three
of his uncles played collegiate
football or basketball. He lists
the former New York Yankee
player Derek Jeter as his favorite
athlete.
Reach QNS Editorial by email
at editorial@qns.com
St. John’s University’s left-handed pitcher Nick Mondak.
Photo courtesy of St. John’s University
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