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When New Yorkers take into consideration getting medical care, the not-exactly-sterile subway system possible isn’t the primary place that involves thoughts. However the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s experiment with inoculating individuals in opposition to COVID-19 at subway, LIRR and Metro-North stations confirmed stable numbers on opening day.
The pilot program vaccinated 1,112 individuals on Wednesday, in response to MTA spokesperson Abbey Collins. Comfort–along with free subway or rail rides–has been touted as a part of the initiative’s enchantment.
“We’re enthusiastic about that,” Governor Andrew Cuomo stated of the turnout throughout his day by day press briefing Thursday. “We’re getting as inventive as we are able to to get individuals to get vaccines.”
Grand Central and Penn Station vaccinated the most individuals, with 260 and 256 photographs distributed, respectively. On the East a hundred and eightieth Road station within the Bronx, 115 individuals received their photographs, and 165 turned up on the Broadway Junction cease in Brooklyn. The Coney Island-Stillwell Avenue station had the smallest turnout, with 47 individuals vaccinated.
.@NYGovCuomo with some GREAT information on outcomes of @MTA vaccine websites
Whole = 1112
Grand Central – 260
Penn Station – 256
E a hundred and eightieth St – 115
179th St (Jamaica) – 73
Coney Island/Stillwell Ave – 47
Broadway Junction – 165
Ossining – 58
Hempstead – 138👏👏👏
& we’re nonetheless going!
— Abbey Collins (@abbey_e_collins) May 13, 2021
The turnout fell wanting this system’s full capability of about 2,000 to 2,400 photographs a day–but it was a stable begin. For comparability, the town averaged about 11,600 first doses every day previous to the pilot’s launch, unfold throughout a whole bunch of web sites. The MTA’s pilot hauled in about 10 p.c of this tally at simply eight collaborating stations.
Every of the practice and subway hubs, that are open for 5 hours day by day by way of Could sixteenth, can accommodate about 250 to 300 individuals, Pat Foye, chairman and CEO of the MTA, stated Wednesday. The stations also can develop based mostly on demand.
MTA officers stated that the pilot interval might be prolonged and expanded to new websites if it goes nicely this week. Nevertheless it’s unclear whether or not future plans is likely to be disrupted by an upcoming lapse within the Johnson & Johnson vaccine provide.
The federal authorities is not going to be transport any of the single-shot vaccines to states subsequent week, Politico reported Tuesday. One of many vegetation manufacturing the vaccine, Emergent BioSolutions, has been plagued with issues which have slowed down manufacturing.
The MTA vaccine pilot isn’t the one program that depends on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. When the vaccine was placed on momentary pause final month, it interrupted the town’s cell vaccine van program in addition to its initiative to vaccinate homebound New Yorkers.
WNYC/Gothamist reached out to the town and state Well being Departments to learn the way many doses of Johnson & Johnson are available and whether or not a scarcity is anticipated.
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