NEW YORK — As New York City works to get more residents vaccinated against the coronavirus, Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled a three-part plan that would help homebound seniors get the vaccine.
Mayor de Blasio acknowledged that tens of thousands of New York residents need some kind of direct support, and finding a way to bring the vaccine to them is the works.
Under the three-part plan, de Blasio said Tuesday the single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine would be used for at-home vaccines.
“As that Johnson and Johnson vaccine comes into play, it’s a single dose and requires less refrigeration and is easier to transport,” he said.
Medically trained personnel would be sent directly to homes and the vaccines would be administered there, de Blasio added.
Johnson & Johnson submitted its one-shot vaccine for FDA authorizationearlier this month.
Vaccine clinics would also be set up at retirement communities for those who cannot get beyond their building.
“It’s going to be super convenient, easy for them to sue and we’ll be expanding that,” according to the mayor.
The third part would be vaccinating 25,000 home health aids within a month.
Protecting home health aides means the city would also be protecting homebound seniors.
“This is the kind of effort we need to get down to the grassroots and get to folks who need help the most,” the mayor said.
New York City has administered 1,336,382 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, with over 10% of NYC adults having received at least one shot.
The mayor, however, continues to call on the federal government for more supply as the city has the capability to get 500,000 people vaccinated per week if given the proper amount of doses.
