Assemblywoman Seawright’s toy drive
helps brighten children during holidays
BY DEAN MOSES
With all the issues 2020 has
wrought, including food insecurity
and the housing crisis,
holiday gifts are the last things on many
families’ minds this December. Assemblymember
Rebecca Seawright hopes to
ensure that parents have the opportunity
to give their little ones gifts to unwrap and
a brighter, better pathway leading into the
coming year.
Hoisting several bags brimming with
toys and games, the Assembly Member
dropped off dozens of gifts at the Stanley
Isaacs Neighborhood Center at 415 E 93rd
St on Dec. 22. This is the second donation
for Seawright after also distributing toys
last Tuesday to the New York Center for
Children at E. 70 and 1st Ave, an organization
that serves victims of child abuse.
“It’s important for everyone to stand up
and support our neighbors, our friends, our
constituents, and our community. What
better time than during a national pandemic
at the holiday season when so many
Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright joins local children at the drop-off.
people have lost their jobs, lost their housing
to step up and be kind and be generous
so that folks can have a wonderful holiday
season despite the pandemic that we’re in
PHOTO BY DEAN MOSES
right now,” Assemblymember Seawright
told amNewYork Metro.
The gifts were given away to those in
need during a special event the following
day from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Stanley Isaacs
Neighborhood Center, a non-profi t organization
that works to aid underserved youth
from low-income families, out-of-school
youth, and others. This giveaway was
hosted by Saundrea Coleman who took the
time to express her thanks to Seawright
for supporting the local south during this
diffi cult time and bringing normalcy to
their children.
“She’s a dynamic woman who is very
involved with the community board I serve
on, and just been present in our community
and open to us if we need anything. We
really appreciate that she came to bring toys
out to our kids,” Coleman said.
Assemblymember Rebecca Seawright
reiterated the importance of supporting one
another, especially those in need, during
this time and her hope for a much brighter
2021 one with the advent of the COVID-19
vaccine reaching New York.
“I want to thank everyone who participated
during this holiday season. Acts of
kindness and generosity are what is needed
here today,” Seawright said.
Nearly 500K more COVID-19 vaccine
doses arrive in New York City this week
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
As nursing home staffs and residents
across New York began receiving
the COVID-19 vaccine Monday,
Governor Andrew Cuomo delivered the
news that nearly 500,000 more doses of
the Pfi zer and Moderna inoculations are
on the way to the Empire State.
Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccine received
approval from the FDA over the weekend.
The fi rst of the 346,200 doses New York
is receiving in the fi rst phase of vaccination
were due to arrive here Monday, according
to Cuomo.
Meanwhile, New York is on the verge of
getting another 120,000 doses of Pfi zer’s
vaccine, which began being administered
to health care workers a week ago. Thus
far, New York leads the country in doses
administered — 38,000 as of Monday.
COVID-19 vaccines are being administered
to people in two doses, 21 days apart.
Staff members from pharmacies such as
Walgreens and CVS are providing doses
at nursing homes over a three-day period,
with all residents and a portion of the staff
receiving them on the fi rst two days, and
all of the staff getting it on the third day.
After the fi rst doses are administered,
pharmacy staff will return to the nursing
homes in three weeks’ time to provide
the second shots. Cuomo expects that the
fi rst round of nursing home shots will be
completed in about two weeks.
“We’re now talking about who’s getting
vaccinated, and let me be clear: there is no
politics in the vaccination process,”Cuomo
said.“We went through this with COVID
testing, with big shots, celebrities, and
affl uent people getting to the front of the
line. This preferential treatment in COVID
testing undermines our entire sense of democracy,
equality and a government that
works for all people. And in this time of
COVID where we’ve seen gross injustices,
politics has nothing to do with it. There’s
no governor, no county executive, and
no mayor who controls the process, and
anyone who says that is not telling the truth
or violating the law. This is entirely done
by medical professionals and our hospitals
have already vaccinated more people than
any state in the nation.”
To that end, the governor announced the
launch of the state’s Vaccine Equity Task
Force, which aims to ensure that the shot
is available to all communities regardless
of status. New York will also be creating
and distributing community vaccination
kits designed to provide the vaccine in
low-income areas and communities of color
where few health care facilities or pharmacies
are available.
PHOTO BY REUTERS/YUKI IWAMURA
Stanislawa Cybulski, 82, a patient at The New Jewish Home nursing facility,
receives the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine from Walgreens Pharmacist
Jessica Sahni in the Manhattan borough of New York City, New York,
U.S., December 21, 2020.
Schneps Media December 24, 2020 3