Governor Cuomo Announces Nearly 1,200 Senior NYCHA Residents Receive First Dose of COVID-19 Vaccine at State Pop-up Sites

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that following Friday's two-day deployment of State Community Vaccination Kits to five NYCHA housing complexes, nearly 1,200 senior NYCHA residents have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. These sites will be re-established in three weeks to administer second doses. Following this first pilot deployment at NYCHA locations, kits will be deployed to existing locations and additional vaccination sites that will open throughout New York State to further bolster the State's efforts to ensure the fair and equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine in communities that are underserved by traditional healthcare institutions.

"We have one mission - getting shots in arms - and we need to do that in the most equitable way possible," Governor Cuomo said. "The communities traditionally underserved by the health care system have been hit hardest by COVID and we said from the start that we won't let these disparities dictate who gets the vaccine. Through our community vaccination kits, mass vaccination sites, and local partnerships, New York established one of the most expansive vaccination networks - but we will only be as successful as our federally-controlled supply. We see the light at the end of the tunnel but to reach it the federal government must send us more vaccine."

Following the deployment of community vaccination kits by Governor Cuomo, five sites were established to administer the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to eligible NYCHA residents at:

• Bronx

• • NYCHA West Tremont Avenue-Sedgwick Avenue Area, 200 West Tremont Ave., Bronx, NY 10453

• Brooklyn

• • NYCHA Stuyvesant Gardens II, 150 Malcolm X Blvd. Brooklyn, NY 11221

• East Harlem

• • NYCHA Corsi Houses, 307 East 116 St., New York, NY 10029

• Queens

• • NYCHA International Tower 90-20 170 St., Queens, NY 11432

• Staten Island

• • NYCHA Stapleton, 230 Broad St., Staten Island, NY 10304

Upon the completion of the two-day deployment, each site administered:

The opening of these sites furthers Governor Cuomo's goal of ensuring the fair and equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. In late 2020, the Governor announced the launch of New York's Vaccine Equity Task Force chaired by Secretary of State Rossana Rosado, Attorney General Letitia James, National Urban League President & CEO Marc Morial, and HealthfirstPresident & CEO Pat Wang. Since its establishment, the Task Force has continued work to ensure vulnerable and underserved communities are not left behind by breaking down the barriers to vaccination and ensuring there is equitable distribution of the vaccine across the state.

To facilitate this effort, New York has continued to build Community Vaccination Kits and work with public housing officials, churches, and community centers to support these efforts and deploy kits to the appropriate locations. Each kit includes step-by-step instructions for how to set up a site, and critical supplies and equipment such as:

• Office Supplies
• Workstation Equipment
• Communications Equipment
• Cleaning Supplies
• Lighting Equipment
• PPE
• Crowd/Traffic Control Equipment
• Vials
• Syringes
• Room Dividers
• Privacy Curtains