American Museum Of Natural History 'Whale-comes' Vaccination Site

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — Mayor Bill de Blasio made a whale of an announcement on Monday by informing New Yorkers that the American Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side will soon open as a COVID-19 vaccination site.

New Yorkers will be able to get vaccinated directly under the famous blue whale in the front hall of the iconic museum.

"We have an exciting new site to announce today, and I've been trying to work different ways to phrase this, I would say it's a whale of an announcement, or perhaps whalecoming this new site, it is the American Museum of Natural History," de Blasio said with a sly smile across his face.

De Blasio said the new vaccine site will open on Friday, and focus initially on public housing residents and cultural workers.

"I can't even imagine a more important manifestation of our mission in action," Ellen Futter, the president of the American Museum of Natural History, said during the news conference.

"I want to see the really, really, really big syringe you guys use to vaccinate the whale," de Blasio told Futter after her comments.

The American Museum of Natural History is located at 200 Central Park West.