NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – A mass vaccination site opened at Yankee Stadium on Friday morning and is expected to vaccinate thousands of Bronx residents in the coming week.
The site opened for vaccinations at 8 a.m. and will be run jointly by the city and state. It’s the first time the stadium’s doors have opened to the public since 2019.
People lined up in the cold and rain outside the stadium early Wednesday for their vaccination appointments.
The site is through a partnership between the state, city, SOMOS Community Care, the New York National Guard and the Yankees.
Thousands of the 15,000 appointments available through next week were still available Friday. Some residents showed up without appointments and National Guard members helped them sign up on the spot.
Mayor Bill de Blasio, a diehard Red Sox fan, visited the site Friday and even donned a Yankees cap for the occasion.
“For one day only I will declare myself a Yankee fan,” the mayor said. “I’m going to take a moment to linger with this and then it’s going to come off very quickly. So let’s enjoy it for just a moment. I’ll talk about the full emotional experience later, but I feel gratitude to the New York Yankees, and so I’m honored to join with you today.”
The site will only serve Bronx residents, who must show proof that they live there. The site is an effort to boost vaccination rates in the borough, which has the highest coronavirus positivity rate in the city.
Eligible Bronx residents can make an appointment at somosvaccinations.com or by calling 1-833-SOMOSNY. The site will operate 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day. More information about the site can be found here.
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