NEW YORK (WCBS 880) – New York City’s latest vaccination site opened at the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan on Friday.
The first in line when the doors opened at 8 a.m. was Adrian Rosario of Hamilton Heights who said he got a same-day appointment, WCBS 880's Marla Diamond reported.
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"I feel like if people want to get back to normalcy then they should get the vaccine," Rosario said. "The more people get it the better things get."
The city is hoping to reel in vaccine procrastinators by giving out COVID-19 shots and free museum admission in the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, right under the big blue whale, which now has a giant band aid on its side.
Mayor Bill de Blasio joked with the museum’s president, Ellen Futter, about the whale while making the announcement earlier this week.
“I want to see the really, really, really big syringe you guys use to vaccinate the whale,” de Blasio quipped at a briefing. “You’ve got to show that at some point.”
One of the first to be vaccinated under the big blue whale was Kate-Lynn Timmermans, who was dressed in a T-Rex costume and carried a giant vaccination card that on the back read, "Vaccines because extinction sucks."
"I think if the scientists and the doctors tells us to do it I think it's worth a shot to try," she said.
With dozens of appointments open, the city's novel approach is a great idea, said Connie Hart of Brooklyn.
"It's a New York institution, and it's a signal that the museum is open, the cultural institutions are coming back to New York and we should take advantage of all of the wonderful things our city has to offer," she said.
The museum’s site will be able to administer 1,000 doses of the Moderna vaccine daily.
Priority is being given to NYCHA residents, members of District Council 37 and workers at cultural institutions.
The site will operate from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday through Tuesday each week.
Friday is also the start of walk-up vaccinations for those 60 years and older at 16 state-run sites.
Eligible New Yorkers can now make an appointment at the museum vaccination site by using nyc.gov/vaccinefinder or by calling 877-VAX-4NYC.
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