NYC Reopens 15 Coronavirus Vaccine Hubs, Gets 18K More Doses

NEW YORK CITY — A booster shot of good news about COVID-19 vaccine supply will let the city reopen 15 vaccination hubs that temporarily closed amid a shortage of doses.

Mayor Bill de Blasio on Thursday announced not only will the hubs reopen but New York City received approval to use 18,000 reserved vaccine shots.

The doses were unused after being set aside for long-term care facilities, he said.

"Clearly some of that vaccine wasn't being used in the here and now, whether it was folks not being ready to accept vaccine yet, and who worked in those facilities or whatever other reason, it simply wasn't moving as fast as one would like," he said. "I asked the state to free up that supply, so that it could be used in the here and now."

The doses will go toward the city's efforts to distribute vaccines to communities hit hard by the coronavirus, de Blasio said.

He said the city put 699,524 vaccine doses into New Yorkers' arms since the vaccination effort started.

The city's vaccination effort has slowed considerably amid recent shortages of COVID-19 vaccine. De Blasio said the city has the ability to dole out 500,000 doses a week, yet it only receives a fraction of that in its weekly allotment from the federal government.

Shortfalls prompted city health officials to reschedule appointments eligible New Yorkers made for the first shot of the two-dose vaccine and close or postpone distribution centers, such as the 15 city-run vaccination hubs.

De Blasio said recent moves by President Joe Biden's still-new administration could change that, starting with the recent announcement that more Moderna-developed vaccine will be coming to the state.

"You're going to see major changes in the supply reality in the coming weeks," de Blasio said.