NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, is encouraging MTA workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
In a two-minute video message that was played at the MTA's board meeting Thursday, Fauci, who grew up in Brooklyn, said the transit agency holds a special place in his heart and wants workers to get vaccinated so they can protect themselves and those around them.
"The New York City Subway system is embedded in my brain," Fauci said. "I took the subway every day to get from my home in Brooklyn to and from Regis High School in Manhattan... And so I can relate warmly to you folks who played an important role in my younger days as a New Yorker."
He said vaccination "is the best way for us to fight back and help restore our lives."
"The sooner you get vaccinated, the sooner we can get our lives back and our country back on track," Fauci said in the video.
The director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases said commended MTA employees for keeping the city moving during the pandemic and said as frontline workers they are at the front of the line to receive the vaccine.
"Take advantage of it, get vaccinated," he said. "This may save your life."
The agency has been hit hard by the pandemic, reportedly suffering more than 130 coronavirus-related deaths.
Here's more information on how transit workers can get the vaccine.