NEW YORK - There was quite a bit of confusion at the newly opened Co-op City vaccination site Thursday. Many were told it would open at 8 a.m., but the city later confirmed it would be a soft opening at 10:30 a.m. for the first day.
Another problem was that some of the people in the neighborhood, many older adults, showed up and did not realize they needed to make an appointment, which were all booked.
Co-op City was hit hard by COVID-19 and officials say only 8% of the population in this ZIP code are fully vaccinated. That’s why this site was opened at Dreiser shopping center.
Co-op City has had one of the highest concentrations of COVID-related deaths in the city, and local leaders wanted to make sure the neighborhood - which is home to many essential workers, older New Yorkers and people of color - was not overlooked.
They vaccine site be distributing the one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Despite the confusion, residents told us it is indeed needed.
“They need to open up quite a few more. A lot of people - senior citizens don’t have the ability to move around,” said James Vasques, a Co-op City resident. “Yeah, they need to open up many more sites.”
“We have a lot of seniors and I heard that the COVID is very high,” Carmen Daley, another resident, said. “They say a lot of have the COVID. So I guess they’re trying to cut down on it. If you get the vaccine, I understand you won’t have to go to the hospital and you’re less likely to die.”
Starting next week, the Co-op City vaccination site will be open from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Saturday. On the first day of it’s opening, the site will open at 10:30 a.m. and end appointments at 6 p.m., the City told us.