22 THE QUEENS COURIER • FEBRUARY 18, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
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VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS
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ZACHARY GEWELB
NIRMAL SINGH
JACOB KAYE
ANGELICA ACEVEDO, JENNA BAGCAL, KATRINA MEDOFF,
CARLOTTA MOHAMED, BILL PARRY
CLIFF KASDEN, SAMANTHA SOHMER, ELIZABETH ALONI
DEBORAH CUSICK
CELESTE ALAMIN
MARIA VALENCIA
VICTORIA SCHNEPS-YUNIS
JOSHUA A. SCHNEPS
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Story: Jackson Heights teen qualifi es for prestigious
debate competition
Summary: Jackson Heights high school student
Emma Anderson has qualifi ed to participate in the
prestigious national Tournament of Champions,
held at the University of Kentucky.
Reach: 3,054 (as of 02/01/21)
Th ey came to Citi Field hoping to get
the “shot of life,” the COVID-19 vaccine,
to protect them from potential suff ering
and death.
But not everyone who arrived at the
home of the New York Mets on the morning
of Feb. 10 — opening day for the vaccination
hub — got the protection for
which they longed. Apparently, they had
been victims of some bad information.
For whatever reason, a number of people
rejected for a shot at Citi Field thought
that merely showing up would be enough.
Not so. Th e Citi Field vaccine site, reserved
mostly for Queens residents and essential
workers across the city, required that a
prior appointment be made through the
city’s online vaccine hub.
It’s hard to say exactly how so many
became confused. But it seems symptomatic
of mixed or inadequate messaging
from the city that dozens of people had
come to the vaccine site without getting
the proper appointment, and ultimately
being turned away.
It may also off er some insight as to the
vaccine disparity in New York City —
the very thing Mayor Bill de Blasio and
Governor Andrew Cuomo didn’t want to
happen, and are now scrambling to remedy.
And again, the disparity and the confusion
should never have materialized to
such an extent. Not when all the major
players involved had months to put the
infrastructure in place for a relatively
smooth vaccine rollout.
Citi Field itself, billed as a mass vaccination
hub, is ramping up slowly, with only
a few hundred appointments available at
the start, and open only 5 days a week,
until the city receives more supply.
We get that the vaccine supply doesn’t
nearly meet the present demand. Th at’s
not likely to change until a third version
of the vaccine, likely Johnson & Johnson’s
one-dose shot, gets federal approval.
Th e city must do a far better job directing
people, in the meantime, toward getting
appointments.
All we can tell you, dear reader, is how
to get a vaccine appointment now — and
to help those you care about get their
appointments, too.
Seek out an appointment through the
online city or state vaccine hubs. Follow
the directions and answer all the questions.
Print out your vaccine appointment
ticket and get the confi rmation number.
If you can’t access the site or are confused,
please seek help from someone
you know.
Vaccine
confusion
Photo by Dean Moses
Elba Marchena argues to gain entry to Citi Field on the fi rst day of vaccinations on Wednesday, Feb. 10, 2021.
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