Vaccine Bus For Restaurant Workers Coming To Astoria

ASTORIA, QUEENS — Restaurant workers and restaurant delivery workers in Astoria don’t have to go far to get a COVID-19 vaccine, since the ROAR NYC Vaccine Bus is bringing first dose Moderna vaccines to them as of this weekend.

The mobile vaccine clinic, organized in partnership between the city and Relief Opportunities for All Restaurants (ROAR), will be at 40-10 31st Avenue in Astoria from Sunday April 25 through Tuesday April 27, according to their website. The bus will also be parked in Chinatown for the three days prior.

From the get go, the city’s vaccination buses, which debuted in Sunset Park at the beginning of April with one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, were part of New York’s efforts to reach hard-hit, and hard-to-reach New Yorkers, including essential and restaurant workers, said Mayor Bill de Blasio.

Astoria and Long Island City are among the city’s top 15 neighborhoods where residents work in the restaurant and bar industry, according to a Center for an Urban Future study.

The study also indicates that the nearby Queens neighborhoods of Elmhurst and Jackson Heights have the highest share of residents working in the food industry, including over 15 percent and 13 percent of residents, respectively.

During the city’s Johnson & Johnson vaccine pause, the van has shifted to offering two-dose Moderna shots, meaning that after one appointment this week people will have to return for a second appointment at the same location 28 days later — from May 23 through 25, depending on the first appointment date.

As of Wednesday morning there are vaccination appointments available at the Astoria ROAR NYC Vaccine Bus from 10:00 a.m. to shortly after 2:00 p.m on Sunday and Monday, and from 9:40 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday. You can also book an appointment by calling the vaccine bus at 1-833-762-7692.

If you have any questions, you can contact the ROAR NYC Vaccine Bus at vaccbus@roarnewyork.org. The bus is also asking that you share the vaccination sign up link with restaurant workers in your network.