4 THE QUEENS COURIER • APRIL 8, 2021 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
June goal of 5 million New Yorkers vaccinated within reach: Mayor
BY MARK HALLUM
mhallum@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday, April
5, that New York City is getting closer to
the administration’s goal of reaching 5
million vaccinated city dwellers by June,
with about half a million jabs being distributed
last week.
With an expected 77,000 additional
doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine
set to arrive in the coming days, and new
sites expected to come online through the
city’s portal for appointment booking, the
mayor fi gures that number will only keep
growing.
“Th is is amazing stuff — the number of
people being vaccinated now in New York
City is skyrocketing and more good news
ahead as more supplies are coming. So
where do we stand now? Well, to date, we
have given 4,462,022 vaccinations. Th at
is more vaccinations than there are people
in the state of Oregon,” de Blasio said.
“We’re reaching a lot of people who it’s
particularly important to reach with that
vaccine so we’re going out into communities,
pop-up locations and public housing,
houses of worship, homebound seniors
and other folks with the one shot, one and
done. So we’re continuing to expand all
over the city so you’re going to see a number
of sites up this week, new sites.”
Despite the June goal of 5 million vaccinated
adults, de Blasio believes in-person
Broadway theater may not be a reality
until September. Nonetheless, the mayor
intends to create a vaccination center for
thespians as well as mobile vaccinations
for off -Broadway performers.
With spikes in other states causing concerns
about the pace of reopening for the
mayor as well as city Department of Health
and Mental Hygiene Commissioner Dave
Chokshi, de Blasio reiterated his belief
that the state under embattled Governor
Andrew Cuomo made a mistake by allowing
indoor fi tness classes and indoor college
sports to resume.
“Our experience with COVID-19 leads
to a clear answer: yes, we have to remain
concerned. We have to remain vigilant.
All the more so because we have a chance
to be in the homestretch of this marathon
because of vaccination, and the
places where we are the most concerned
are what we have consistently messaged
over the last few weeks, and the last few
months,” Chokshi said. “We know outdoors
is safer than indoors. We know that
places where people are not able to wear a
mask consistently and properly are higher
risk activities, and we know that larger
gatherings confer more risks than smaller
gatherings. So those are the activities
where we really have to ensure that
we remain cautious and methodical with
respect to reopening.”
Despite the so-called progress in the
vaccination eff ort, de Blasio said it may
be too early to tell whether or not that
is attributable to the decline in hospitalizations
and deaths, but is confi dent signifi
cant progress in defeating the virus is
being made.
Howard Beach emerges as COVID-19 hotspot
BY BILL PARRY
bparry@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
New data shows that certain variants of
COVID-19 are on the rise in New York
City’s coronavirus cases.
According to the Health Department,
during the week of March 15 though
21, variants represent over 70 percent of
COVID-19 cases sequenced. Th e increase
suggests that they are more infectious
than previously circulating variants.
In Queens, a new hotspot has emerged
in Howard Beach where the COVID-
19 positivity rate rose over 10 percent,
drawing the attention of Assemblywoman
Stacey Pheff er Amato.
“Our community has been through so
much in the past year, so taking the necessary
steps to bring down our positivity
rate brings us closer to resuming our normal
day-to-day lives,” Pheff er Amato said.
“COVID-19 is still a threat, so we must
keep our guard up to stop the spread:
wear a mask, get tested, maintain good
hand hygiene, stay home if you’re sick,
social distance and get vaccinated.”
More than 4 million vaccinations have
been distributed in the fi ve boroughs but
with Passover and Easter, the de Blasio
administration is reminding New Yorkers
to avoid large gatherings.
“Th is is particularly important to protect
older adults and other people who may be
more vulnerable,” Department of Health
and Mental Hygiene Commissioner Dave
Chokshi said. “Fully vaccinated people can
gather with other fully vaccinated people
with fewer precautions, but remember,
most people remain unvaccinated and you
are not considered fully vaccinated until
14 days aft er your last dose.”
Choksi warned of New Yorkers letting
down their guard during Wednesday’s
COVID briefi ng.
“Many New Yorkers are marking painful
one-year anniversaries of those dark
days last spring. Let’s do everything
we can to ensure that the
future is indeed brighter than
that past. So, even though we
are all tired, now is not the
time to let our guard down,”
Choksi said. “Th e next few
weeks will be an absolutely crucial
time in this public health
crisis. We’re seeing a worryingly
high level of cases. And, as we
reported yesterday, new variants
are making up an increasing
share of those cases – over
70 percent of all specimens
sequenced for the most
recent week. Th e next
few weeks will
be an absolutely
crucial time
in this public
health crisis.
As the weather
gets nicer, our
vaccine supply increases, and our historic
vaccination campaign ramps up to an
even higher level, we must continue
to follow the public health guidance
we’ve been talking about for so long.”
Photo by Brendan McDermid/Reuters
Howard Beach’s spike in COVID-19
positivity rate has drawn
the attention of
elected offi cials.
Photo via NYC Mayoral Photography Unit
The de Blasio administration’s goal of delivering 5 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to New
Yorkers by June is in sight, the mayor said on April 5, 2021.
2021
WINNERS HAVE
BEEN ANNOUNCED!
SEE IF YOUR FAVORITES WON BY HEADING TO
BESTOF.QNS.COM
@bestoftheboro
/BESTOF.QNS.COM
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
link
link
link
