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vaccine center at Queens Center Mall News Desk: A new vaccine site opened at the Queens Center Mall on Monday, April 12, as local elected officials continue call for more sites in certain neighborhoods they say are lacking vaccine accessibility in central Queens.<\/p>\n
The city-run site is located at the former Modell\u2019s location at 58-56 92nd St. in Elmhurst, according to the city\u2019s vaccine finder site. It will be open to the general public Monday through Saturday, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.<\/p>\n
The site was originally set to administer the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but the city has stopped administering the shot as of Tuesday, April 13, in accordance to CDC and federal guidelines. A city spokesperson said they are working to reschedule appointments to offer Moderna and Pfizer vaccines to the best of their ability instead.<\/p>\n
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\nAll New York adults are now eligible for the vaccine, and can search for appointments by calling 877-829-4692 or by visiting www.nyc.gov\/VaccineFinder.<\/p>\n
On Monday afternoon, the site appeared to have a steady yet relatively slow stream of people waiting to get their vaccine.<\/p>\n
The new site comes as Congresswoman Grace Meng, along with multiple local lawmakers, wrote a letter to Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio urging them to establish a mass vaccination site that would specifically serve Middle Village, Maspeth, Glendale, and parts of Ridgewood and Woodhaven.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have heard from many local stakeholders regarding vaccine access issues for communities west of Woodhaven Boulevard,\u201d the letter read. \u201cDue to the limited number of vaccination sites in this area, we are urging your office to establish a mass vaccination site in this underrepresented region of Queens County.\u201d<\/p>\n
State Senator Joseph P. Addabbo, Jr., Assembly members Catherine Nolan, Jenifer Rajkumar and Brian Barnwell, and Councilman Robert Holden all signed on to the letter.<\/p>\n
In response to the lawmaker\u2019s calls, Avery Cohen, a spokesperson at the mayor\u2019s office, said the city is working to get shots in arms.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith more sites opening every day, we\u2019re doing all we can to vaccinate our Queens neighbors as quickly as possible,\u201d Cohen said. \u201cFrom pop-up sites to vaccinations for homebound New Yorkers, we will not stop until there is a shot in the arm of every person across our city.\u201d<\/p>\n
As of Monday, 34 percent of Queens residents have received at least one vaccine compared to 33 percent of city\u2019s total population, according to city data. City officials pointed to Middle Village\u2019s 34 percent vaccination rate for at least one dose, which is above the citywide average, and noted there are upwards of 12 sites in the area.<\/p>\n
Maspeth, Glendale, parts of Ridgewood and Woodhaven also currently have vaccination rates above the citywide average, according to the latest city data. However, those neighborhoods\u2019 rates are much lower when compared to some parts of northeastern and northwestern Queens, where elected officials have fought to get more vaccine sites.<\/p>\n
Meng, who represents Congressional District 6, said she was pleased to learn about the new site at Queens Center Mall, thanking the mayor and the city for setting it up. But she said there is still a need for more locations.<\/p>\n
\u201cOther communities in my congressional district still need a vaccination location as well, and, I, along with several of my government colleagues, are continuing to call for a site in the western portion of my district, and we will continue to push for that to happen and work with the city and state on this effort,\u201d Meng said. \u201cAs I have said, everybody deserves easy access to the vaccine, and that includes all of my constituents.\u201d<\/p>\n
Holden, who has been pushing for more vaccine access in the Council\u2019s 30th District, said the new site at the mall is a \u201cbig step in the right direction,\u201d but it\u2019s not enough.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt should not have taken this long or required every local elected official in the area to ask for it. We have a large population of seniors and immigrants, combined with a lack of public transportation. We need more sites,\u201d Holden said. \u201cIt\u2019s still too difficult for some of our constituents in the southern part of the district. City Hall must not short change our neighborhoods.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
vaccine center at Queens Center Mall News Desk: A new vaccine site opened at the Queens Center Mall on Monday, April 12, as local elected officials continue call for more sites in certain neighborhoods they say are lacking vaccine accessibility in central Queens. The city-run site is located at the former Modell\u2019s location at 58-56 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":68122,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[45],"tags":[282],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\n\n\t\n