MAYOR ADAMS, HEALTH COMMISSIONER DR. VASAN ANNOUNCES NEW YORK CITY’S PLANS FOR COVID-19 BABY VACCINE ROLLOUT

 

City Will Begin Administering Vaccine to Children Aged 6-Months and Older as Early as June 22, Pending Final Guidance From CDC After FDA Grants Emergency Authorization

 

City-Run Sites Will Offer COVID-19 Vaccine in All Five Boroughs

 New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan today announced New York City’s plans to roll out COVID-19 vaccinations for children aged six-months and older next week, pending additional federal recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) expected this weekend. To provide parents the most flexibility possible, DOHMH has also been conducting educational outreach to ready providers. Starting this weekend, DOHMH recommends parents reach out to their children’s pediatricians to see if they will make the COVID-19 vaccine available at their offices. Additionally, beginning on June 21, parents and guardians can also use New York City’s COVID-19 Vaccine Finder to find convenient locations across the five boroughs to vaccinate young children, including 10 city Vaccine Hubs where the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine will be available for children aged six-months through, and including, five years of age. These sites are expected to open as early as June 22, depending on final federal approval. The Pfizer vaccine will also be available at non-city sites to children six months and above.

 

“The next step towards a return to normalcy is around the corner for our youngest New Yorkers,” said Mayor Adams. “I know how long parents and caretakers of our little ones have been waiting for the moment their youngest would have access to a COVID-19 vaccine, and as soon as that moment comes, I want them to know we will be ready. We are looking to make this process as seamless as possible for parents, which is why we’re preparing, through city sites and partnerships with trusted pediatricians, to vaccinate and protect all of our children as soon as this vaccine is ready and shipped. Parents will also have numerous opportunities to ask their questions and should feel comfortable knowing this vaccine is safe and vital to their children’s health.”

 

“The provision of the COVID-19 vaccine to our youngest New Yorkers marks a historic milestone for New York City and our response efforts,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Anne Williams-Isom. “From the start of the pandemic, we have taken strict measures to protect our youngest New Yorkers from the transmission of COVID-19, and we are thrilled to now be able to deliver the vaccine to children under five. The COVID-19 vaccine is safe and effective, and I urge parents and guardians to get their children vaccinated in order to protect their health, and the health of their families and school communities.”

 

“We’ve been waiting so long for a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine for our babies, and thankfully that time has arrived,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Vasan. “While we still await formal federal guidance, we want parents to know that the vaccine is here, it is safe, and it protects against COVID-19 and its most severe complications. As the city’s doctor, and as a father of a three-year-old, I have confidence in this vaccine, and I can’t wait to get my child vaccinated. I encourage parents to call their child’s pediatrician today or call 877-VAX-4NYC to make an appointment at one of our city sites next week. We’re ready for shots for tots!”

 

This morning, the Food and Drug Administration issued emergency authorization of the COVID-19 vaccine for children ages six-months and older. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices is expected to meet this weekend and if CDC recommends vaccination, then young children will be able to begin getting vaccinated as early as next week.

 

New York City clinics that have been serving children five years and older will transition to serving younger children once the vaccination campaign for babies begins. The locations and hours are below.

Vaccine Hubs	Days of Operation	Clinic Appointment Hours
Manhattan
Times Square	M-Su	10 AM – 5 PM
NYC Health Dept. – Uptown Clinic (in East Harlem)	M-Sa	9 AM– 5 PM
Queens
Queens Mall	M-Su	9 AM – 6 PM
NYC Health Dept. – Corona Clinic	M-F	9 AM – 5 PM
NYC Vaccine Hub – Long Island City	Th-Su	10 AM – 7 PM
Bronx
NYC Health Dept. – Morrisania Clinic	W-Sa	9 AM – 5 PM
Staten Island
NYC Vaccine Hub – Empire Outlets	M-Su	10 AM – 5 PM
Brooklyn
NYC Vaccine Hub – The Jefferson	Th-Su	10 AM – 7 PM
NYC Vaccine Hub – The Livonia	Th-Su	10 AM – 7 PM
NYC Vaccine Hub – Brooklyn Children's Museum	W-Su	9 AM – 5:30 PM

City-run vaccination hubs will serve children between the ages of six months up to and including five-years old. Parents can also use New York City’s COVID-19 Vaccine Finder to find a convenient location to get their child vaccinated or reach out to their personal providers to make an appointment. If parents plan to get their children under five-years old vaccinated at a pharmacy, they should check the Vaccine Finder website before they go.

 

Governor Hochul Updates New Yorkers on State's Progress Combating COVID-19 - JUNE 17, 2022

 

Governor Encourages New Yorkers to Keep Using the Tools to Protect Against and Treat COVID-19: Vaccines, Boosters, Testing, and Treatment 

13 Statewide Deaths Reported Yesterday

 NOTE: Updates to the CDC's cumulative death data files were paused starting June 6, 2022, while the CDC upgrades its system. Reporting is expected to resume on June 21, 2022. Any questions about this should be directed to the CDC. During this time, total deaths and new daily deaths reported through HERDS will continue as normal. 

Governor Kathy Hochul today updated New Yorkers on the state's progress combating COVID-19. 

"New Yorkers should continue making use of the resources we have at our disposal to fight COVID-19 and keep each other safe and well," Governor Hochul said. "This includes staying up to date on vaccination doses and getting tested before traveling, congregating with family, or when you feel sick. After the CDC issues a final recommendation on COVID vaccines for children under five, I encourage parents and guardians to talk with their pediatricians about getting their young ones vaccinated." 

Today's data is summarized briefly below:     

• Cases Per 100k - 26.49  
• 7-Day Average Cases Per 100k - 24.98 
• Test Results Reported - 93,066
• Total Positive - 5,176
• Percent Positive - 5.12%
• 7-Day Average Percent Positive - 5.48%
• Patient Hospitalization - 1,842 (-42)
• Patients Newly Admitted - 313
• Patients in ICU - 211 (0)
• Patients in ICU with Intubation - 76 (-3) 
• Total Discharges - 312,587 (+345)
• New deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 13
• Total deaths reported by healthcare facilities through HERDS - 56,375  

** Due to the test reporting policy change by the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and several other factors, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.    

The Health Electronic Response Data System is a NYS DOH data source that collects confirmed daily death data as reported by hospitals, nursing homes and adult care facilities only.      

Important Note: Effective Monday, April 4, the federal Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is no longer requiring testing facilities that use COVID-19 rapid antigen tests to report negative results. As a result, New York State's percent positive metric will be computed using only lab-reported PCR results. Positive antigen tests will still be reported to New York State and reporting of new daily cases and cases per 100k will continue to include both PCR and antigen tests. Due to this change and other factors, including changes in testing practices, the most reliable metric to measure virus impact on a community is the case per 100,000 data -- not percent positivity.    

• Total deaths reported to and compiled by the CDC - 71,670         

This daily COVID-19 provisional death certificate data reported by NYS DOH and NYC to the CDC includes those who died in any location, including hospitals, nursing homes, adult care facilities, at home, in hospice and other settings.        

• Total vaccine doses administered - 39,187,184
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 24 hours - 16,212  
• Total vaccine doses administered over past 7 days - 103,990
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose - 92.7%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series - 84.2%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 95.0%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 18 and older with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 87.7%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 80.4%
• Percent of New Yorkers ages 12-17 with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 73.9%
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose - 82.3%    
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series - 74.6% 
• Percent of all New Yorkers with at least one vaccine dose (CDC) - 90.9%    
• Percent of all New Yorkers with completed vaccine series (CDC) - 77.6%        

Each New York City borough's 7-day average percentage of positive test results reported over the last three days is as follows **:        

Borough	Tuesday, June 14, 2022	Wednesday, June 15, 2022	Thursday, June 16, 2022
Bronx	3.85%	3.81%	3.89%
Kings	4.58%	4.89%	4.88%
New York	5.39%	5.38%	5.43%
Queens	5.82%	5.63%	5.70%
Richmond	6.02%	5.67%	5.65%

BRONX MAN INDICTED AS MAJOR TRAFFICKER; NEARLY 29 POUNDS OF HEROIN AND SOME FENTANYL WERE RECOVERED IN HIS HOME

 

Drugs Were Hidden Behind a Light Fixture; More Recovered from His Car 

 Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx man has been indicted for Operating as a Major Trafficker and additional charges after investigators found heroin and fentanyl in his home, with an estimated street value of about $1 million dollars.

 District Attorney Clark said, “Heroin and fentanyl are killing New Yorkers and destroying our communities. Getting these deadly and highly addictive drugs off the streets, along with holding accountable the people who care nothing about getting Bronxites hooked, is how we fight back and reclaim our community. The defendant allegedly stashed over 28 pounds of drugs in his home and vehicle, which will not get in the hands of drug dealers or users thanks to our law enforcement partners in the New York Strike Force, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force.”

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Carlos Munoz, 43, of 1908 Barnes Avenue, in the Van Nest section of the Bronx, was arraigned today on Operating as a Major Trafficker, two counts of first-degree Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, second degree Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, three counts of third-degree Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance, second-degree Criminally Using Drug Paraphernalia, and three counts of seventhdegree Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance before Bronx Supreme Court Justice George Villegas. Bail was set at $750,000 cash/$750,000 bond/$750,000 partially secured bond. The defendant is due back in court on September 13, 2022.

 According to the investigation, on May 12, 2022, at the defendant’s home, investigators allegedly recovered approximately 13 kilograms of heroin and approximately 300 grams of fentanyl which were hidden behind the ceiling drywall, behind a light fixture in the bathroom. Investigators also allegedly found a 400-lb kilo press, hydraulics to operate the press, a grinder, and a stamp. Two hundred glassine envelopes and an additional 150 grams of heroin were also allegedly recovered from the defendant’s vehicle, which was found with the help of a narcotics-detecting dog.

 District Attorney Clark also thanked NYPD Detective Nelson Pabon and NYPD Sergeant Ryan Boylan of the New York Strike Force, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force for their work in the investigation. 

 An indictment is an accusatory instrument and not proof of a defendant’s guilt.

Attorney General James Announces Election Protection Hotline Ahead of Early Voting Period

 

OAG Will Troubleshoot Voting Issues During Early Voting and on Election Day  

Voters Experiencing Problems Can Call (866) 390-2992, 

Submit Complaints Online, or Email election.hotline@ag.ny.gov 

New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) will make its Election Protection Hotline available for the upcoming June 28, 2022 election and during New York’s early voting period, which runs from Saturday, June 18 until Sunday, June 26. The hotline will be available to troubleshoot and resolve a range of issues encountered by voters, including voting by absentee ballot due to the COVID-19 crisis or in-person at their polling place. Voters that experience problems can report issues to OAG by calling the new hotline number at (866) 390-2992, submitting complaints online, or emailing election.hotline@ag.ny.gov. The OAG also created a guide to address frequently asked questions to assist voters. 

“As states throughout the country try to strip communities of their fundamental right to vote, we are continuing to make sure that the polls remain accessible for voters across New York,” said Attorney General James. “For years, New Yorkers have relied on our election protection hotline to address any challenges they face across the state and to provide guidance for those casting a ballot. My office remains committed to ensuring that New Yorkers are able to participate fully and meaningfully in the electoral process.”

Attorney General James urges voters experiencing problems to call OAG’s new hotline at (866) 390-2992, submit complaints online, or email election.hotline@ag.ny.gov to request election-related assistance in advance of the election. The hotline and digital forms are accessible in multiple languages. The telephone hotline will be open at any time between 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM on Saturday, June 18 through Sunday, June 26, and between 6:00 AM and 9:00 PM on Tuesday, June 28 (Election Day). Written requests for election-related assistance may be submitted at any time through the online complaint form. Hotline calls and written requests for election-related assistance are processed by OAG attorneys and staff.

The OAG has operated its Election Protection Hotline since November 2012. During previous elections, OAG fielded hundreds — and sometimes thousands — of complaints from voters across the state and worked with local election officials and others to address issues. The OAG has also taken legal action to protect against voter registration purges and to ensure that voters have adequate and equitable access to vote early as required under the law. 

Attorney General James reminds all registered voters that they have the right to accessible elections. In addition, all registered voters have the right to vote free from coercion or intimidation, whether by election officials or any other person.  

The OAG will receive and respond to election complaints relating to any of the statutes that OAG enforces.