Manhattan Lawmaker Sets Up 1,300 Vaccine Appointments

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Amid a vaccine rollout that has confounded many of New York's senior citizens, one Manhattan lawmaker says his office has helped hundreds of his constituents get their jabs.

Thanks to an online portal and a number of pop-up sites, State Sen. Brad Hoylman has helped 1,370 constituents schedule coronavirus vaccine appointments, he announced Tuesday.

After hearing reports that New Yorkers were struggling to navigate the city's and state's dueling vaccine portals, Hoylman's office created a form that residents of his senate district could fill out, requesting help with their appointment.

Hoylman's office also helped create pop-up vaccination sites, including a March 13 event at NYCHA's Pedro Albizu Campos Plaza Community Center.

Politicians have complained that Manhattan remains the only borough without a mass-vaccination site serving its own residents exclusively. (The state's Javits Center site is open to all New Yorkers, not only Manhattanites.)

"Many of my constituents struggled with the confusing online sign-up process, a lack of Manhattan-specific mass vaccination site and the limited supply of vaccines," Hoylman said in a statement.

"I couldn’t be prouder of my team, who worked around-the-clock to enable us to surpass our milestone 1,000th successful COVID-19 vaccine appointment."

The 27th Senate District covers Manhattan's West Side, including much of Midtown and Greenwich Village. District residents who want help scheduling a vaccine appointment can contact Hoylman's office at bit.ly/HoylmanHelpCenter.