4 JANUARY 13, 2022 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Queens is New York’s fi rst county to
reach 2 million COVID-19 vaccinations
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
CMOHAMED@SCHNEPSMEDIA.COM
@QNS
As the city continues to encourage
New Yorkers to get tested, vaccinated
and boosted to prevent
the spread of COVID-19, Queens on
Jan. 8 became the fi rst county in New
York state to have 2 million residents
receive at least one dose of a COVID-19
vaccine, according to the city’s Health
Department.
It’s a milestone for the “World’s
Borough,” which was once the original
“epicenter of the epicenter” of the
greatest public health crisis in our
lifetime, according to Queens Borough
President Donovan Richards.
“Queens has proven again and again,
culminating with today’s incredible
milestone, no borough has shown
more strength, resilience and resolve
in our collective comeback than our
own,” Richards said. “The pandemic
is not over yet, as we’ve learned with
the recent surge in cases brought on by
the omicron variant, and neither is our
fi ght against it. To all our neighbors
who continue to roll up their sleeves
to get both vaccinated and boosted
and to all our healthcare workers who
continue to serve their communities
with unparalleled heroism, thank you
for stepping up on behalf of our shared
borough.”
In April 2021, Queens became the
fi rst county in New York state to have
1 million residents receive at least one
dose of a COVID-19 vaccine. As of Jan.
11, 89% of all Queens residents, regardless
of age, have received at least one
dose — 7 percentage points higher
than the city average.
In terms of percentage of residents
who are fully vaccinated, Queens leads
the fi ve boroughs at 80%. For children
ages 5 to 17 in Queens, 66% have received
at least one dose of a vaccine
and 51% are fully vaccinated — nearly
10 points higher than the city average
for both criteria.
During the Queens Borough Board
meeting held on Monday, Jan. 10, NYC
Test & Trace Corps and the city Health
Department reported a 960% increase
in COVID cases between November
2021 and December 2021.
“We’ve pulled all of the levers we’ve
had to put testing in as many places as
possible,” said Laura Atlas, director of
External Aff airs at NYC Test & Trace
Corps.
According to the city Health Department’s
data for Queens, there have
been immense rates of transmission,
with the latest seven-day cases at
10,000 per day.
Chelsea Cipriano, executive director
of Intergovernmental Aff airs at the
city Health Department, said their
number one tool in the fi ght against
COVID-19 is getting people vaccinated.
“If you’re fully vaccinated, your job
is not done. Now is the time to get a
booster shot,” Cipriano said. “The
vaccine works. Yes, there are cases
among those that are vaccinated, but
it is by and large among those that are
not vaccinated.”
Cipriano and Atlas reiterated that
it’s important for people to get tested
before they travel and gather with
friends and family. According to Atlas,
NYC Test & Trace Corps have been
adding new vendors, partners and
locations — brick-and-mortar, mobile
units and tent teams — for vaccination
sites in Queens.
There are CDC units in the borough
and a state mass testing site at
York College in Jamaica. Additionally,
there are tent teams providing relief
at emergency rooms in hospitals to get
people tested.
When asked by the borough president
how they are targeting communities
with higher rates of transmission,
Atlas said they are maintaining an
extensive presence with brick-andmortar
and mobile units in those communities
and are relying on people to
inform them of the places residents
would go to for testing.
COVID-19 testing is also provided at
multiple sites at JFK airport, according
to Atlas, and at LaGuardia Airport to
service residents in East Elmhurst,
Elmhurst, Corona and Jackson Heights.
“Those folks who are going to
LaGuardia instead of Elmhurst Hospital
have other alternatives. We also
opened a testing site at Newtown High
School,” Atlas said.
Atlas says they’re also distributing
rapid at-home testing kits to hospital
emergency rooms and public schools.
According to Richards, testing and
vaccination sites have been expanded
in College Point and Forest Hills. A testing
unit is also open at the Ridgewood
Clinic providing PCR and antigen
COVID-19 testing.
The borough president noted that
they’re working on expanding testing
sites into other areas across the borough.
In Far Rockaway, the percentage
of vaccinated residents increased from
32% last summer to 60%, according to
Richards.
Richards said they will continue
to work with the city Department of
Health and the state to continue providing
resources and information to
the Queens community.
Photo via Flickr
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