Thousands More Vaccine Appointments Open Up in NYC for Johnson & Johnson Pilot;
What to Know
- The slower-than-desired national vaccine rollout got a major boost this week; the first Johnson & Johnson doses were shipped and Merck has signed on to help its rival manufacture more faster
- Equity has been an issue for states and cities across the U.S.; in NY, whites account for 79.2% of all people who have received at least one first dose, despite representing 70.4% of the eligible population
- Top health officials say the vaccines that have emerged to date are still all expected to work on the variants that have been detected; that, and smart public behavior, are the best tools in the COVID war
New Yorkers experienced major frustration booking their COVID-19 vaccine appointments (if they were able to accomplish it at all) just a few weeks ago. Wait times at state-run sites had stretched well past mid-April. People were traveling hours out of state and across the state in hopes of getting on a line somewhere.
The circumstances have changed. Thousands of new appointments will open for registration starting Wednesday, thanks to a supply fortified by the latest federally emergency-use approved single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Those appointments are expected to open up slots at the jointly run state/city Bronx residents-only mass vaccination site at Yankee Stadium, where hours will be expanded to 24/7. Starting Thursday, the Javits Center vaccine hub in Manhattan will have more overnight appointments available. New appointments for the Yankee Stadium site go live at 11 a.m. Wednesday (eligible Bronx residents should check here) and new Javits Center appointments open up at 8 a.m. Thursday. Visit New York’s ‘Am I Eligible’ website or call the state’s COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline at 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829) for details.
Not sure how the process works? Or when you might be able to get an appointment? Check out our handy tri-state vaccine site finder and FAQs here
New York City and New Jersey Vaccine Providers
Click on each provider to find more information on scheduling appointments for the COVID-19 Vaccine.
Appointments will certainly fill up quickly again because there the state is getting about 165,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, about 70,000 of which are allocated to the city. The next J&J shipment comes in about 10 days.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said he expects the Johnson & Johnson doses and overall vaccine supply to increase significantly by the end of March. The newest vaccine is easier to store and only requires one shot, which will make it easier to get doses in arms and move down along the line of New Yorkers waiting.
De Blasio and his health team say they’ll use the initial Johnson & Johnson doses to prioritize homebound seniors. The J&J doses allocated for Yankee Stadium and the Javits Center will start going in arms Thursday and Friday, respectively.
There are some lingering headaches. Those who can grab appointments may still have to wait hours in socially distanced lines. One man who didn’t want to be identified by name said he showed up for his 5:30 p.m. appointment Tuesday at the Javits Center but didn’t receive a shot until 8:40 p.m.
“I waited almost 45 mins…
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