Dwindling doses force NYC to delay Citi Field vaccine rollout

Mayor Bill de Blasio donned a Mets uniform on Jan. 12 that the Citi Field would become a COVID vaccine distribution hub stating this week. Those plans are now on hold due to dwindling doses, he said Monday.  Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office

By Rachel Vick

Queens residents heading to Citi Field are accustomed to disappointment, but this is a whole new level of let-down.

With just 7,700 COVID-19 vaccine doses on hand, New York City has delayed the opening of a vaccine distribution hub at the Mets home ballpark in Flushing, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Monday.

The site was originally set to open this week with capacity to administer 5,000 to 7,000 doses a day, de Blasio said last week. He was joined by new Mets owner Steve Cohen at a press briefing to announce the initiative. 

But the federal government’s Operation Warp Speed has turned into Operation Vaccine Trickle, forcing the city to postpone appointments, close vaccine distribution sites and delay the start of others. 

“We’ve got local, neighborhood providers, folks who are at the front lines who can build trust, who can get folks from the neighborhoods to come in who speak their language,” de Blasio said Monday. “We can do that right now, but we don’t have the supply. We need the supply and flexibility.”

During an appearance on MSNBC Tuesday, he called on President Joe Biden to use the Defense Production Act to speed vaccine production, distribution and administration across agencies and jurisdictions.

Last week, the city rescheduled about 23,000 first dose appointments in order to prioritize access to the critical second shot — necessary for the vaccination to be effective.

On Tuesday, 8,829 people received their second doses and 7,041 received the first, according to city data.

“We are disappointed that we have still not been allocated enough doses to get New Yorkers vaccinated quickly, but we will keep working with our State and federal partners to get more doses,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi last week.