Hard-Hit East Harlem Lags In Vaccine Rollout, Neighbors Fear

EAST HARLEM, NY — East Harlem may have suffered more from COVID-19 than any other part of Manhattan, but some in the neighborhood say that it has been neglected in the city's vaccine rollout.

Since the pandemic began, East Harlem's 10035 ZIP code has had the highest death rate in the borough, while the neighboring 10029 ZIP code has confirmed the highest number of cases — more than 5,200.

But East Harlem lacks a city-run vaccine hub like those that exist in other parts of the city, including in Central Harlem, which has had one since mid-January.

Mayor Bill de Blasio promised a 24/7 mass-vaccination site at East Harlem's La Marqueta early this year, but the site never opened. After months of silence from the city, a mayoral spokesperson on Friday chalked up the non-opening to "infrastructure issues," including a lack of power outlets in the space.

"We’ll continue to see if we can make it work for sometime in the future," spokesperson Avery Cohen said.

East Harlem's two ZIP codes have overall vaccination rates of 9 and 10 percent, according to city data — higher than other parts of Harlem, but far lower than more affluent neighborhoods like the Upper East Side, where as many as a quarter of residents have been vaccinated in some ZIP codes.

A recent study focused on Harlem's senior citizens paints a more complicated picture. About 28 percent of Central Harlem residents over the age of 65 had gotten the vaccine by mid-February, compared to just 19 percent in East Harlem.

That suggests East Harlem's seniors have had a harder time finding vaccination sites close to home, according to Dr. Ayman El-Mohandes, dean of CUNY's School of Public Health, who presented the study last week.

City Councilmember Diana Ayala echoed those findings, telling Patch last week that she has spoken with East Harlem elders struggling to make appointments within the neighborhood.

"There are people in this community that shouldn’t have to leave their communities to get the vaccine when we are on the list of the most affected communities," Ayala said.

Ayala herself is now eligible for the vaccine, but has been unable to make an appointment without leaving East Harlem, she said.

Like many of my immunocompromised neighbors, I am now on the list of those eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine and have been unable to get an appointment in my community for weeks. How is that possible @nycgov https://t.co/63Y5ds5Lw8
— Diana Ayala (@DianaAyalaNYC) February 28, 2021

Sites in East Harlem that do offer the coronavirus vaccine include NYC Health + Hospitals, Metropolitan; the NYC Health Department Uptown Clinic; and a number of pharmacies throughout the neighborhood.

Find sites and book appointments at vaccinefinder.nyc.gov.