'Very Concerned': Manhattan Borough Prez Blasts Vaccine Rollout

MANHATTAN, NY —Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer blasted the city's rollout of COVID-19 vaccines in a recent letter to Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Brewer said she was "very concerned" about the city's lack of planning and preparation for an effective way to distribute the vaccine to all communities in the city.

"We are not new to this pandemic. We know what works and what doesn't," Brewer wrote in the letter. "We know what caused inequities and what can address them. And yet, knowing for many months that the vaccine was coming, we did not develop an equitable or effective plan for New York City."

The Manhattan Borough President broke down her main concerns with the vaccine rollout into five categories, overall organization, technology, locations, transportation, and special populations.

Specific points within those larger concerns included:

• The lack of one point person running the vaccine rollout
• The choppy online system that makes it difficult to schedule appointments
• Choosing not to place vaccine hubs in neighborhoods hit the hardest by the pandemic.

Brewer also expressed her dismay at the choice to not add more transportation options to get people to their vaccine appointments and not presenting a plan to vaccinate those New Yorkers in group homes, medical facilities, and homeless shelters.

"A city government with dozens of task forces and working groups focused on equity must understand that accountability is at the core of equity, and a vaccine distribution operation that is decentralized and dispersed will leave our most vulnerable behind," Brewer said in a news release for the letter. "That includes communities of color in Inwood, senior citizens in Roosevelt Island, foster care and rehabilitation employees and residents in group homes, and eligible New Yorkers who have poor internet access or technological literacy."

Additionally, the Manhattan borough president criticized the city for not offering more language options outside of English and Spanish for the call center set up specifically for vaccine appointments.

De Blasio has commented in recent days that the city is working on ways to offer more language options.

You can read the full letter sent to the mayor's office here.