Coronavirus 'Vaccine Hub' To Open In Long Island City

LONG ISLAND CITY, QUEENS — Aviation High School will soon become a "vaccine hub," as the city continues accelerating efforts to vaccinate eligible New Yorkers.

The Long Island City school is among a dozen sites across New York City that will start administering vaccines Friday, Jan. 15, to eligible health care workers, according to Mayor Bill de Blasio.

"You're going to see a lot more like this — using public school buildings like this as hubs for the larger community," de Blasio said Monday. "This is a model to start getting to the grassroots where we can make so much impact."

The hubs are part of the city's plan to double its number of vaccine distribution sites from 125 to 250 and speed up New York City's vaccination rate, after the mayor pledged to administer 1 million doses by the end of January.

Just under 130,000 New Yorkers had gotten their first of two vaccine doses as of Wednesday morning, according to city data.

Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi said the new sites are intended to help the city reach health care workers who are newly eligible for the vaccine and may not have access to the vaccine through their employer, such as physical therapists, dentists and staff at specialty health clinics.

A vaccine hub at Hillcrest High School will open on Sunday, and August Martin High School in South Jamaica and the Beach Channel Educational Campus in Rockaway Park will start administering vaccines the following Friday, along with Aviation High School.

Eligible New Yorkers may schedule an appointment to get vaccinated on the NYC Department of Health website.