Amid Coronavirus Vaccine Disparities, NYC Rolls Out New Outreach

NEW YORK CITY — A spate of coronavirus vaccination efforts unveiled by Mayor Bill de Blasio got quickly overshadowed by eye-opening new data showing significant disparities in who received the doses.

De Blasio on Tuesday announced a three-part plan to get the anticipated single-dose Johnson & Johnson-developed vaccine to home bound seniors.

He also said the city will start a new vaccine site at Teachers Prep High School in Brownsville devoted to home health aides.

"Their health and wellbeing is paramount to all of us," he said. "They deserve the opportunity to be vaccinated, given the important work they do."

The site will also serve residents of Brownsville and East New York, two of many neighborhoods where the city wants to expand vaccine outreach, de Blasio said.

Left unsaid was the vaccination data de Blasio released shortly afterward showed the site's ZIP Code — 11212 — only had 2 percent of its adult residents fully vaccinated and 4 percent partially vaccinated against the coronavirus.

De Blasio and Torian Easterling, the city's deputy health commissioner focused on equity, both promised to use the data to address disparities in the vaccine rollout.

The city is launching "hyper-local efforts" to close the gaps, Easterling said.

"And we are increasing outreach in communities to raise awareness about the vaccine and ensure residents receive needed resources and services, some of which the Mayor has already mentioned," he said.

The Teachers Prep vaccine site will open Wednesday and run six days a week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.