I know local electeds have zero input on the # of doses coming to NYC but lobbying hard to get a site in NEQ seems performative. The city doesn’t even have enough doses to keep CitiField open 24/7. (It will only be open 24/7 Wednesdays to Sundays). 1/

Right now there are 3 giant problems with getting people vaccinated: (1) not enough vaccines, (2) unusable websites and (3) homebound seniors 2/

Obviously our electeds can’t fix the #1 because that’s dependent on Washington passing the CoVid stimulus. However, local elected officials can push the NYS & NYC to fix the websites and plan to help homebound seniors. 3/

CitiField is set up for 40,000 people to come and watch a game almost simultaneously. Drivers have highways and parking. Transit users can get there via the LIRR, the 7 train and several bus lines. It’s accessible by bike as well. 4/

So, Citifield is accessible by multiple modes, and is big enough to get lots of people vaccinated quickly. The constraint on this site is the supply of vaccine and the websites. 5/

If you think getting to CitiField by driving or transit is difficult, I’m not sure why you'd think the Sam Field Y would be better. Buses don’t run frequently on Little Neck Pkwy meaning people will HAVE TO drive there. 6/

Will Spisak suggested Doug Plaza which is fairly accessible by car and bus but I would still prioritize CitiField because... 7/ https://twitter.com/WilliamSpisak/status/1358812860852424710?s=20

If the goal is to get the most people vaccinated quickly then sites like CitiField and Aqueduct where you can get 1000s vaccinated quickly are more preferable than smaller sites that can do a lot less. 8/

This is just two appointments. I think the vast majority of folks can figure out the logistics of getting to CitiField and it will be tolerable. I mean unless you’re a die-hard Yankees fan 9/

It would be better if our leaders prioritized (1) lobbying colleagues in Washington to get more vaccines, (2) better websites and (3) figure out how to get to home-bound seniors. Getting a site in NEQ is a nice-to-have. 10/10

I want to come back to this thread in light of Katie’s tweet.
Should politicians fight for vaccination sites or vaccine doses? One of course involves goading the Mayor to do something that looks nice but (in light of this info) presumably accomplishes little. https://twitter.com/katie_honan/status/1359171565758349322

The other, might accomplish something beneficial but risks drawing the Governor’s ire.
It might even be worth holding hearings to investigate why NYC doesn’t have sufficient supply...

That risks angering the Guv as well as @jessemckinley et al reported:
“Officials [at @nycHealthy] had hoped to significantly expand a system used for childhood vaccinations, in which the city is able to order doses directly from the federal government...”

“The Cuomo administration, in an October letter to the Trump administration, told federal officials to work only with the state when it came to doling out doses. That made it difficult for the city to create its own vaccination sites” https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/01/nyregion/cuomo-health-department-officials-quit.html