'Pleasantly Surprised': NYC School COVID Vax Exceeds Expectations

NEW YORK CITY — Mayor Bill de Blasio sees a silver lining in the long lines and supply shortfalls at a smattering of schools offering the coronavirus vaccine to youngsters from 5- to 11-years-old.

Demand for the school vaccination effort exceeded expectations, de Blasio said. Nearly 4,500 kids got their first dose in schools that day, he said.

“We have been pleasantly surprised at how big the response has been at the school level,” he said Tuesday.

The city's weeklong effort to vaccinate 5- to 11-year-olds in schools kicked off Monday days after federal officials gave approval to let youngsters get the two-dose Pfizer vaccine.

Many parents and educators had long-waited for that approval, but de Blasio acknowledged officials were caught somewhat flat-footed by the demand.

He said previous efforts to vaccinate the 12- to 17-year-old group made officials assume there would be less demand for school vaccinations.

"You know the famous phrase, 'Never fight yesterday's war'?" he said. "I think we had an experience with the 12- to 17-year-olds that understandably caused our health care officials to think that it would be valuable to be in schools, but there would be a limited number of parents and kids who would want to take up the opportunity of schools."

De Blasio acknowledged city officials were wrong and said they'd take extra steps this week to avoid the lines that about 12 schools experienced. He said mobile vaccination units will be dispatched outside 24 schools with great demand.

And he said that schools would receive more doses overall.

Overall, about 24,000 newly eligible kids got their first dose in the days after approval, de Blasio said.