THE BRONX — A mass vaccination site at Yankee Stadium is under development, the governor announced Friday.
The mayor had proposed Yankee Stadium as one of several mass vaccination sites in the city, along with Citi Field in Queens and Empire Outlets in Staten Island — but the sites were are on hold until the city obtained enough vaccine supply to sustain operations.
The vaccination location will be launched in partnership between New York State, New York City, SOMOS Community Care, the New York National Guard and the New York Yankees, and will be reserved specifically for Bronx residents.
“The undeniable fact is that COVID has killed Black and Brown communities at a higher rate than the white community, and the Bronx was not immune. Vaccine equity and protecting the communities that were hit the hardest by COVID remain our top priorities. By opening a mass vaccination site at Yankee Stadium we are sending a clear signal to Bronx residents: it’s safe, it’s effective, and it’s the weapon that will win the war, but we will only be successful if everyone is on board,” Cuomo saod.
De Blasio echoed the optimism about the location.
“This is exactly what it will take to defeat COVID and drive a recovery for all of us in New York City,” Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “I want to thank the Yankees for stepping up to the plate and the teamwork on display here to continue expanding our vaccination infrastructure in neighborhoods across the city. Our Vaccine For All campaign puts equity front and center, and this new site to exclusively serve the Bronx will be a real home run.”
The decision to limit the location to Bronx residents addresses a point of concern for local leaders.
Earlier this week, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. lamented about the ability for out of town New Yorkers to get appointments for vaccines in the Bronx before actual Bronx residents, an issue both the mayor and governor said they’re keeping a close eye on now.
The governor also announced the deployment of ten more community vaccination kits to under-served communities.
They’ll go to four NYCHA Senior Housing Developments, two public housing sites in Rochester and Hempstead, and three church and community center locations in the Bronx and Brooklyn.
