NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — Gov. Kathy Hochul on Tuesday announced New York State's first incentive for children to get vaccinated against COVID-19, even before full approval from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC is expected to grant final vaccine approval for children ages 5 to 11 as early as Tuesday, and as soon as the organization does, children who step up to get vaccinated at the Barclays Center will be eligible to receive two free tickets to a Brooklyn Nets home game.
"All you have to do is get the shot and you get two tickets to come watch a game," Hochul said. "Does that sound like a good deal? That is a great deal!"
The incentive is part of a new partnership between New York State, the Brooklyn Nets and the New York Liberty.
Gov. Kathy Hochul holds a COVID-19 briefing and makes an announcement at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on Nov. 2, 2021.Kevin P. Coughlin / Office of the Governor
Hochul said she wants parents to begin making appointments for their children as soon as possible, as the state will be ready to vaccinate kids as soon as the CDC gives full approval.
"We already ordered 380,000 doses for children," the governor said.
While the partnership with the Nets may seem odd, given that one of the most iconic players on the team, Kyrie Irving, is not playing because he is refusing the vaccine, Hochul is grateful that the team is on the side of vaccinations.
"I think the message is that the team itself supports vaccinations.
The vast, vast, vast majority of their players are vaccinated and they're here to support [and ensure] that members of the community are vaccinated," she said.
Hochul told about a dozen kids who had gathered at the Barclays Center on Tuesday that they can trust the athletes encouraging them to take the shot.
"Those are our superstar athletes – the people we look up to, the people who do things like play basketball the way that just excites our fans, they're the ones that I'm trusting with this," she said.
