NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – There are just a few hundred first-dose vaccines left in New York City due to weather-related shipping delays. But that supply is expected to increase soon, and with that the city is opening new, targeted vaccine pop-up sites.
The Red Hook Houses in Brooklyn have seen their share of tragedy. There was no power there for two weeks after Sandy. Crime and shootings have remained a persistent issue through the pandemic.
But now, with a line out the door for vaccines, there’s a sense of hope for tenant leader Frances Brown.
“I advise everyone to take the vaccine, so we can get back to some type of normalcy,” Brown said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio was also on hand Sunday for a tour of the pop-up site at the Red Hook Houses.
“We wanted to create an opportunity for public housing residents, for NYCHA resident seniors to get the vaccinations they needed right here in their own community,” de Blasio said.
Rep. Nydia Velazquez said she had no choice last week but to call de Blasio to “complain,” in her words. She said she was frustrated by an overall lack of equity and fairness in vaccine distribution.
“I said to him, ‘I never called you to ask for anything, not a single favor, but I’m just frustrated,’” Velazquez said.
“She called me personally,” de Blasio said. “She said, ‘We’ve got to get this going right away, this community needs help.’ And we heard her call to action.”
The result was the new pop-up site at the Red Hook Houses.
“It’s just a beautiful thing when you hear people say now they can start to feel they’re going to be okay, they’re going to be safe,” de Blasio said.
Limited supply means they’re only giving out about 100 vaccines per day at the pop-up site.
The Mayor’s Office said that the city only has a few hundred first doses of the vaccine left to give out after shipments were delayed due to weather last week. The delayed shipments are expected to arrive in the city over the next few days.
The pop-up site will move to other public housing complexes across the five boroughs in the coming days.