Here's How NYC Will Get COVID Vaccine To Homebound Seniors

NEW YORK CITY — A door-to-door campaign could end up vaccinating 23,000 homebound seniors in New York City in a little less than two months.

Mayor Bill de Blasio fleshed out details on a long-awaited effort to bring the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine directly to vulnerable elderly people. He said efforts currently underway in Co-op City in the Bronx, Brighton Beach and Far Rockaway will expand across the five boroughs.

"Next week, we go to fuller strength and we will be doing at least 1,200 vaccinations a week," he said Monday. "Now this, remember, is meticulous. It's door-to-door, one patient at a time, a team has to go in and they need to stay to make sure someone reacts well to the shot. So, it takes a lot of time and energy."

The effort will ramp up to roughly 3,000 shots per week, de Blasio said. Health officials hope to vaccinate 14,000 to 23,000 seniors in the next seven weeks, he said.

The one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine has long featured in de Blasio's and health officials' plans to vaccinate seniors. But they've had to wait for FDA approval and delays in actually receiving substantial shipments of the vaccine.

Seniors — or their loved ones of behalf of them — can sign up for the homebound shots by calling 877-VAX-4NYC or go online at vax4nyc.nyc.gov.