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Mayor Bill de Blasio on Tuesday called for the state to expand COVID-19 vaccine eligibility yet again to include city workers like sanitation workers, lifeguards and courtroom employees — as he also demanded more doses for New York City.
“I am calling on the state of New York to update eligibility once again,” de Blasio said during a City Hall press briefing. “There are folks who need to be included.”
De Blasio also said eligibility should be extended to jurors, Board of Elections workers, NYCHA “frontline staff,” “business and job center staff,” building, housing and health inspectors and other essential workers.
“Our sanitation workers who have been heroes just did an amazing job during the snowstorm. We depend on them. We need them to be healthy. They should be included,” de Blasio said.
The mayor added that as the weather gets warmer, “We’re gonna need our lifeguards back.”
“We need to start training them now. They need to be protected,” he said.
Hizzoner went on to say that “everyone” who works in courtrooms should be eligible to get jabbed.
“Vaccinate everyone who serves on a jury,” said de Blasio. “If you’re willing to serve on a jury, thank you, God bless you, but you should know you’ll be safe.”
De Blasio railed that the state is “not keeping up with the need to update this category, to update these eligibility categories.”
“Give us the freedom to vaccinate,” he said. “Give us that freedom and we can move this city forward.”
Additionally, de Blasio demanded that the state give Gotham more vaccine supply as he again griped that large state-run COVID-19 vaccination sites in the city have been administering shots to many out-of-towners.
The mayor revealed Monday that 75 percent of the shots administered at the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens were given to people who live outside the city, while more than 42 percent of those at the Javits Center site in Manhattan went to non-city residents.
“I want those people vaccinated too, but the answer is, give us more vaccine,” de Blasio said.
“If New York City is expected to cover our people, plus folks from the suburbs, plus folks including from New Jersey and Connecticut — we will serve anybody and everyone — but give us our fair share of vaccine. Don’t give us too little vaccine and then expect us to handle people from the city and outside the city.”
Meanwhile, de Blasio announced that a new coronavirus vaccination site will open Thursday at Co-Op City in The Bronx.
“The Bronx is too often overlooked. We can’t let that happen. So, we’re going to bring the vaccine to the people of the Bronx, to the people Co-Op City,” he said.
The new immunization site at 131 Dreiser Loop will be open Thursdays-Tuesdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
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