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At Some Schools, Overwhelming Demand For Kids' Vaccines On First Day Of NYC Public School Vaccine Clinics
By
Jessica Gould
and
Elizabeth Kim
Published Nov 8, 2021
Modified Nov 9, 2021
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Christa Savino
By
Jessica Gould
and
Elizabeth Kim
Published Nov 8, 2021
Modified Nov 9, 2021
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Parents are reporting a bumpy rollout for New York City’s Covid-19 vaccine clinics for 5 -11 year-olds at public schools. The city launched the effort Monday morning, offering vaccines at around 200 schools, but many parents said they and their children were turned away when sites ran out of doses. One parent said the vaccination van showed up empty; others reported delays and long lines.
Jerrel Mohammed, 11, spent the morning queued up outside PS 8 in Brooklyn Heights hoping to get vaccinated so that he could soon visit his dad and extended family in Trinidad. But supply ran out before he was able to get a shot. He said he was “sad and disappointed” that he didn’t get his first dose, especially since he missed his health and technology classes to do it.
Hannah Robinett, who brought her five year old Fay to get a shot at PS 8, said the city only allocated 50 doses for the school, even though the PTA had requested 200.
“It was pretty disappointing to wait in line for two hours and not receive the vaccine,” she said.
“I wanted my lollipop,” Fay added. Robinett said her daughter would get a lollipop anyway, but was still figuring out when and where to get her a shot.
Mom of three Maureen Farrell said families had lined the block outside P.S. 40 near Gramercy in Manhattan by 7 am. She said a vaccination van finally arrived at 10:30 am, but without the doses—she was told that the van was redirected from the Bronx but it only had doses for adults.
“We cheered thinking we waited for a good cause … but no,” she wrote in an email to Gothamist. “I don’t know what kind of incompetence led to this, but it is a shameful disgrace.”
The de Blasio administration has promised to offer shots at more than 1,000 schools over the next week, serving about 400,000 students. To get vaccinated at schools, kids must be accompanied by an adult and have verbal or written consent from a guardian. After getting their shots, staff will schedule students' second doses, although officials said those shots will be administered at pharmacies, doctors offices, and other city-run sites, not schools.
Students and their families will also receive information about how to redeem the $100 prepaid debit cards the city is giving out as incentives.
At PS 19 in Manhattan, Schools Chancellor Meisha Porter and Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi applauded as students received their shots on Monday afternoon.
Danielle Lerro is an assistant principal at IS 303 in Morris Heights in the Bronx. “We vaccinated 17 kids, which one of the clinic directors said was very high for our neighborhood," Lerro said. "The two guys who did the vaccinations were great, my kids were happy, and I get verklempt seeing every shot go into every arm.”
Prior to Monday, de Blasio had repeatedly assured the public that the city would be ready to administer vaccine doses to children. For months, de Blasio pleaded with the federal government to move more swiftly on child vaccine approvals.
But during his morning press briefing, the mayor was forced to acknowledge problems with the vaccine rollout at schools.
All told, the mayor said he knew of four schools which had experienced delays in getting supply, while another 12 in Manhattan and Brooklyn had long lines. The Department of Education has not yet responded to a request for comment about vaccine uptake at schools Monday. (The demand in Gramercy and Brooklyn Heights seems to mirror the vaccination stats for adults in those neighborhoods, where vaccination rates are very high.)
He said city officials had underestimated demand because they based their supply on the number of school vaccinations for 12-17 year olds that occurred in September.
“We had some good numbers but not a huge amount of demand,” he said. “We're seeing a lot of demand now.”
Although the initial plan was only to have schools offer one day of vaccinations, de Blasio said the city was prepared to add more vaccination days to any school where there is demand.
“If we have a school where there are parents who really want to get their kids vaccinated right at that school, we will honor that,” he said.
Since Thursday, nearly 17,000 children ages 5 through 11 have received at least one dose, before the launch of the school-based sites, city health officials said. The city last week ordered 330,000 child vaccine doses to start.
On Monday, de Blasio also announced that his administration is working with the City Council to pass legislation that would grant private sector employees in New York City four hours of paid sick leave time to get their children vaccinated. The four hours would apply for each child and vaccination appointment. The benefit for city workers will apply immediately.
Tagged
vaccines
new york city
school
public schools
mayor de blasio
Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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