A mass vaccination site will open in Co-op City today, which has been devastated by the impacts of COVID-19 and has seen a below average vaccination rate.
The vaccination site, run by the New York City Department of Health, will administer approximately 500 vaccines each day to start. The site will eventually administer 1,000 shots per day when the program is fully ramped up, with continued vaccinations reserved for Co-Op City residents.
Located at 131 Dreiser Loop, the site will operate Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
“This progress is cause for celebration, and I am grateful that our office was able to work with our federal, state, and local partners to bring more vaccines to Co-op City residents and neighboring communities in the Northern Bronx,” Congressman Jamaal Bowman said. “In an area where one in four residents are elderly and thousands live with a disability, we cannot accept a vaccine rollout that is less than expedient and equitable. We’re doing everything we can to bring more sites to our district in the near future.”
On Sunday, Bowman and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer sent a letter to President Biden calling on him to increase the number of vaccines available to residents of Co-op City, Edenwald and Wakefield. One out of every 13 residents in the Co-op City/Edenwald/Wakefield area had been diagnosed with COVID-19 over the last year, and a staggering 411 people living there have lost their lives to this deadly virus, yet only 4 % of Wakefield residents and 7 % of Co-op City/Edenwald residents have received a vaccine, compared to 13 % statewide.
Less than two weeks ago, Bowman also announced the opening of another mass vaccination center in Yonkers as part of an initiative to bring vaccines to underserved communities. The Yonkers site is now taking appointments and will vaccinate approximately 1,000 people per day.
The Co-op City site is currently under development and information on registration will be available soon.
