Hochul announces new pop-up vaccination site in collaboration with MTA at Bronx subway station

Gov. Kathy Hochul announced Tuesday a new pop-up vaccination site in the Bronx in collaboration with the MTA.

The site will be at the East 180 Street Subway Station, strategically located in areas where vaccination rates remain low. The successful program that has brought pop-up sites at MTA station stops launched on May 12, initially at eight stations across New York City Transit, Long Island Railroad (LIRR) and Metro-North Railroad, offering the public the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The program provides anyone, including those visiting New York, the opportunity to get vaccinated without needing to set an appointment — and with the incentive of a free seven-day MetroCard or a free round-trip LIRR or Metro-North ticket. On June 17, the program was extended at Midtown transit hubs Grand Central Terminal and Penn Station.

“More people are returning to the workplace in-person, and with the increase in ridership across the MTA system we have a great opportunity to reach even more people with pop-up sites at station stops,” Hochul said.”If you still need to get your shot and are passing by one of these stations, you can just walk in to get the single-dose vaccine and then be on your way. It’s that seamless, and it’s the best thing you can do to better protect yourself and others from COVID-19.”

The new site will target New Yorkers in a community where vaccination rates are low. The East 180 Street station in the Bronx serves the 2 and 5 lines, where vaccination rates remain the lowest. The Broadway Junction site will be open between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m.

“Increasing vaccination rates is vital to ensuring New York’s recovery stays on track,” said Janno Lieber, MTA acting chairman and CEO. “We are back to carrying three million people a day on subways. By positioning pop-up sites at two of the busier stations in the system, we are bringing the vaccine right to New Yorkers who otherwise might not have been able to take time off to get the vaccine. The more people who are vaccinated, the safer our state is for everyone, and we’ll continue to work with Governor Hochul to pursue all avenues to distribute the vaccine.”

The MTA continues robust messaging to advise the public about availability of the sites. Digital messages continue to run on 12,000 screens at MTA stations, onboard train cars and buses to promote the site locations and hours of operation. Promotional content is being pushed to three million followers across MTA social media platforms, and wayfinding signage is posted at station pop-up locations to help guide traffic flow.