Amid the Wednesday morning bustle of Grand Central Terminal, dozens of people lined up to get their COVID-19 shot, along with a free 7-day MetroCard or tickets for the LIRR or MetroNorth. Some got in line as early as 7 a.m., an hour before the site opened. Two hours later, nearly 100 people had been vaccinated, according to staff working the registration desk.
The hub is one of eight walk-up vaccination sites now operating in subway, Metro-North and Long Island Rail Road stations through Sunday as part of a pilot program run by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. The project is a collaboration with medical partners SOMOS Community Care, Northwell Health and Westchester Medical Center. Many who showed up at Grand Central said the convenience attracted them there.
“I have a [vaccine] appointment coming up, but I won’t be able to make it,” said Dekyi Tameng, 23, a student at Baruch College who lives in Queens. “I have an exam that day. So, I thought this was a great opportunity to get it.”
People waiting to get vaccinated at Grand Central Terminal, May 12, 2021
The line for vaccinations at Grand Central Terminal, May 12, 2021
People waiting for the vaccine at Grand Central Terminal, May 12, 2021
Tameng said she received an email from the state about the vaccination program on Monday. Others said they heard about it during their commutes. The MTA is broadcasting the times and locations where the vaccine will be available on more than 1,200 screens on train platforms, as well as onboard train cars and buses. Audio messages are also running in more than 500 stations, and details are posted all over subway platforms.
“This process is designed to be simple so you can get your shot and be on your way in the shortest amount of time possible,” Catherine Renaldi, president of the MTA’s Metro-North Railroad, said during a press conference to mark the opening of the Grand Central hub.
The pilot includes six sites across New York City (none so far in Staten Island) as well as hubs at the Ossining Metro-North station and Hempstead LIRR station. Some clinics are operating from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. while others take the afternoon shift from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. MTA officials say the program may be expanded or tweaked after Sunday depending on demand.
“Some commuters might be a little bit rushed in the morning, and the afternoon may be better,” said Renaldi. “We understand this, and we’re trying to work with them to find out what will be most convenient.”
The commuter hubs are open to out-of-towners as well as residents. Interested takers require some form of identification with the person’s name and age, which is entered into the Citywide Immunization Registry, Dr. Ramon Tallaj, chairman of the board of SOMOS Community Care, which is providing the Johnson & Johnson doses at Grand Central, added.
Montse Mateos, 21, got vaccinated Wednesday while on vacation in New York with her brother. They’re from Puebla, Mexico, where their age group is not yet eligible. The pair saw an ad for the subway vaccine sites while catching the train at Penn Station.
“It’s incredible. Here in the U.S.A., the government begs people to get the vaccine and also gives you free tickets,” said Mateos. “In Mexico, everybody is fighting for the vaccines. Like, ‘Please give me one.’ The contrast is really remarkable.”
According to Tallaj, many of those who showed up Wednesday morning were young adults—a demographic that Governor Cuomo says the state is now working hard to reach.
Outside the Coney Island subway station, May 12, 2021
People line up to receive a COVID-19 vaccination at a subway station in Coney Island, Brooklyn
“Young people who need to go to work, they say to me, ‘I just came half an hour early to get the vaccine,’” Tallaj said. An advisory committee for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention met Wednesday and seconded the authorization for using the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in adolescents. The CDC director is expected to sign off on the decision, and city health officials say the shots could be available for 12-to-15-year-olds as early as Thursday.
“The vaccine allows us all to live our lives, to head to the beach, to go to summer camps, or hang out with friends while staying safe,” NYC Health Commissioner Dave Chokshi said during a press briefing at City Hall. “As a parent and the city's doctor, I urge you to make an appointment.”
MTA officials said at their press conference they had enough doses to vaccinate 250 to 300 people daily at each subway and train site, but Tallaj said extra supply was on hand and that he expected to vaccinate nearly 400 people Wednesday.
David Spectra, 66, counts himself among those still skeptical of the COVID-19 vaccines, mainly because he doubts big pharma in general. But the Bronxite said he decided to get vaccinated at Grand Central because he’s a musician and plans to start touring again. He also wants to go south to see his family.
“I’m here because I’m tired of castor oil,” said Spectra, referring to the home remedy he’s been using to ward off COVID-19. “I said I’ll do this one shot, and it’ll be over with. No more castor oil.”
