CCNY Vaccination Site and Mobile Vans Help To Vaccinate the Vulnerable

Words by Daniela Cortes

Cover Photo courtesy of Gustavo Fring

Since April 6, New York State opened eligibility for anyone aged 16 and older to receive the vaccine. This makes eligibility universal a month earlier than President Biden’s May 1st deadline. All you need is an ID that verifies your age and NY state residency in order to register. This expansion of eligibility allows for City College students to finally be vaccinated and put at ease over the possibility of returning to campus for the Fall 2021 semester.

 With plans for either 25% or 50% classroom occupancy, greater vaccine eligibility can help protect students who have in-person or hybrid classes. Increasing vaccination for students along with CCNY safety protocols can help to ensure those who are able to come to campus are able to stay safe. Some safety measures CCNY has include wearing masks, hand-washing, sanitizing, maintaining social distancing, and using the Everbridge health screening app. Hopefully, now that everyone is eligible, there will be more opportunities for people to have hybrid or in-person classes.

 CCNY has also recently been named a vaccination site by New York State. The CCNY vaccination site offers the Moderna vaccine, which is available for anyone aged 18 and older and is 94.1% effective at preventing COVID-19. The Moderna vaccine is an mRNA vaccine administered through two shots - each 28 days apart. Appointments for the second dose are automatically scheduled after receiving your first dose at the CCNY vaccination site. Side effects, such as fever, chills, tiredness, and headache, are common after the second dose. Vaccination at CCNY is an easy process that gets you in and out in no time!

 The site’s hours are:

Sunday 12:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Monday Closed

Tuesday Closed

Wednesday Closed

Thursday 11:30 AM - 8:00 PM

Friday 12:00 PM - 8:30 PM

Saturday 12:00 PM - 8:30 PM

 As of this date, Medgar Evers College, York College, and City College have vaccinated more than 200,000 New Yorkers. More than 2,000 CUNY students have been assisting at vaccination sites across the city. CUNY nursing students, supervised by CUNY faculty, have been supporting vaccine operations. Their job includes clerical tasks, appointment logistics, vaccine administration, and supervision of people during their observation periods. CUNY nursing students working at vaccine clinics will have this time to contribute to their required clinical hours.

 Mayor Bill de Blasio has also recently announced the launch of 20 mobile vaccine vans and buses to assist hard-to-reach New Yorkers. Hardest-reach areas are being identified by the City’s Task Force for Racial Inclusion and Equity. These areas were determined by deducing how hard a community was hit by the virus and analyzing its history of socio-economic disparities. Each van and bus will be equipped with four to six vaccinators and will offer approximately 200 Johnson & Johnson vaccine doses each day over the course of one to three days.

 Vans will have live interpretation onsite and vaccine materials in multiple languages. Vaccination appointments will be scheduled by local community organizations and will accept walk-in vaccinations if available. In their first week of operation, the fleet of buses will be focused on restaurant and delivery workers. A variety of organizations are involved in administering vaccines, including Promobile Kitchen and Daybreak Health. Relief Opportunities for All Restaurants are assisting in scheduling appointments.

 The City also has plans to expand the number of walk-in vaccine sites for those who are 75 and older, including the new City College vaccination site. Originally, a walk-in pilot began at Brooklyn Army Terminal, Bathgate, and Citi Field. Now, walk-in vaccine sites have expanded from three to twenty-five sites in order to continue to help the vulnerable:

 Brooklyn

1. Bushwick Educational Campus

2. Canarsie HS

3. Brooklyn Army Terminal

4. Starrett City - Spring Creek Towers

5. Teachers Prep

6. Flatbush YMCA

7. City Point

8. Coney Island YMCA (opens 4/8)

Bronx

1. South Bronx Educational Campus

2. Bronx High School of Science

3. Co-Op City

4. Bathgate

5. West Bronx Gymnasium

Queens

1. Beach Channel Educational Campus

2. Long Island City

3. Korean Community Services

4. CitiField

5. Martin Van Buren High School

 Staten Island

1. Ocean Breeze Athletic

2. Empire Outlets

 Manhattan

1. Essex Crossing

2. City College

3. Abyssinian Baptist Church

4. Ford Foundation

5. Yeshiva University

6. Fulton Community Center

 The expanded eligibility provides an opportunity for students to be vaccinated before a potential return to campus for hybrid and in-person classes for the upcoming fall semester. CCNY is now a vaccine site available for anyone. Mobile vans are also available to ensure that more and more New Yorkers continue to be vaccinated. These combined efforts are all contributing towards bringing about a speedy end to the pandemic.