New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that 35 community-based pop-up vaccination sites will be coming online this week at churches, community centers, public housing complexes, and cultural centers across the state to “bolster the state’s commitment to ensuring fairness and equity in the vaccine distribution process.”
In the Hudson Valley, pop-up vaccination sites are being set up at:
- Grace Baptist Church on South 6th Avenue in Mount Vernon;
- Nodine Hill Community Center on Fillmore Street in Yonkers;
- Beulah Baptist Church on Catharine Street in Poughkeepsie;
- MLK Center on Bethune Boulevard in Spring Valley;
- Newburgh Armory Unity Center on South Williams Street in Newburgh;
- Kiley Youth Center on Main Street in Peekskill.
Appointments are largely not being made available to the general public, and are earmarked for the elderly and disadvantaged members of local organizations.
In total, the 35 sites are expected to vaccinate more than 25,000 people this week, with additional sites expected to open up in the coming weeks.
According to Cuomo, since Jan. 15, nearly 9,000 New Yorkers have received a COVID-19 dose at community-based pop-up sites. Vaccination sites are planned for all 33 NYCHA Senior Housing Developments, and at more than 300 churches and cultural centers that volunteered to house the sites.
“COVID brought the ugly truth of inequity and inequality in this country to a tipping point," Cuomo said. "COVID has killed Black and Latino New Yorkers at a higher rate and that is why these community-based sites are one of New York's vaccine priorities.
“More than 9,000 New Yorkers have been vaccinated through this effort and by making the vaccine accessible and delivered by trusted community partners, we can address the skepticism and bring this life-saving vaccine to those who need it most,” the governor added. “The light at the end of the tunnel is bright and getting brighter with each new location and each shot administered."
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