American Museum of Natural History to open as COVID vax site: de Blasio

NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- Mayor Bill de Blasio on Monday announced that the American Museum of Natural History will open as a COVID-19 vaccination site.

"We want to reach all these folks who we depend on to bring back our cultural community," de Blasio said. "This is an exciting new effort and I guarantee you a lot of people are going to say, 'That's where I want to get vaccinated.'"

According to the mayor, the site will offer vaccinations for all, but will prioritize cultural workers and people in public housing as well as museum staff.

Vaccinations will happen directly below the museum's blue whale, who will be rocking a Band-Aid to mark the occasion, the mayor said.

"Having the vaccination site kick off under our beloved blue whale is very meaningful to all of us at the museum," museum director Ellen Futter said. "I know that in years to come we will look at images of New Yorkers getting vaccinated under the whale and it will be a snapshot of New York and New Yorkers fighting back, caring for themselves, caring for one another and of the time when things started to turn for the better."

So far, the city has administered a total of 5,746,378 doses of the vaccine.