East Harlem Leaders Criticize Sluggish Vaccine Rollout

EAST HARLEM, NY — Neighborhood leaders took aim at the city and state Tuesday for what they called a sluggish vaccine rollout in East Harlem, saying Manhattan’s hardest-hit neighborhood by COVID-19 has not been given enough attention.

"We lag behind almost every other community in Manhattan," said Assemblymember Robert Rodriguez at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.

East Harlem suffered higher virus rates and more deaths than any other part of Manhattan. As of Tuesday, however, residents in its two ZIP codes were just 18 and 19 percent fully vaccinated — compared to upwards of 30 percent on the more affluent Upper East Side.

"You know how hard East Harlem was hit during the pandemic," said Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, who also spoke Tuesday outside Boriken Neighborhood Health Center alongside Rodriguez, U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat and other community leaders. "Where is the sense of urgency from this administration?"

Frustration has mounted in the neighborhood after a mass-vaccination site at La Marqueta, promised in January by Mayor Bill de Blasio, failed to open. City Hall told Patch this month that it was canceled due to "infrastructure issues," including a lack of power outlets.

That means East Harlem lacks a mass-vaccination site like the ones that are open in some other neighborhoods, including in Central Harlem. The deficiency has forced the neighborhood's senior citizens to decide whether they are able to venture into other communities in search of a dose, leaders have said.

Letter lays out demands

In a letter last week to state and city health commissioners, local officials laid out a set of demands, including opening a mass-vaccination site in East Harlem, engaging with neighborhood health organizations and creating a community-based appointment process.

Speakers said ramping up vaccinations in East Harlem would be feasible, since it already has a robust public health network. David Nocenti, executive director of Union Settlement, said his nonprofit had witnessed the disparities firsthand after helping staff four city-run pop-up sites.

East Harlem’s death rate due to COVID is higher than both Manhattan and the rest of NYC. Communities like EH have been left to vaccinate thousands without support, or resources. Today we call on the city and state to ensure EH gets equitable vaccine distribution! pic.twitter.com/sCuA0HwAAy
— Gale A. Brewer (@galeabrewer) March 30, 2021

"I can't get my own employees vaccinated," he said.

For a model, Espaillat said the city should look to the large vaccine site at the Fort Washington Armory in Washington Heights, which — after initial hiccups involving out-of-city clients — has provided doses to thousands of Upper Manhattan residents in recent weeks.

A spokesperson for Mayor Bill de Blasio defended the city's efforts to vaccinate East Harlem, with outreach including pop-up sites at NYCHA developments and canvassing on neighborhood streets.

East Harlem's vaccination rates are also above the citywide average, spokesperson Avery Cohen noted, though they remain lower than some of its neighbors.

"With more supply coming online every day, our work continues, and we look forward to getting vaccines to those who need them most," Cohen said.

Vaccine sites open in East Harlem include New York City Health + Hospitals, Metropolitan; Costco Pharmacy; NYC Health Department Uptown Clinic, the Institute for Family Health/Health Center of Harlem and three Walgreens pharmacies. Book an appointment online.