Coronavirus Update New York City: Mayor de Blasio announces vaccines goal, Day of Remembrance for NYC

Coronavirus update for NYC

ByEyewitness News WABC logo

Thursday, December 31, 2020

Mayor announces vaccines goal, Day of Remembrance for NYC

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio says goal is to vaccinate 1 million residents by end of January.

NEW YORK CITY (WABC) -- New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio Thursday revealed one resolution he has for the New Year, and announced a Day of Remembrance for New Yorkers who lost their lives due to COVID.

He said NYC's goal is to vaccinate 1 million people by the end of January.

"The most important New Year's resolution I could possibly offer you in the month of January 2021, we will vaccinate one million New Yorkers," de Blasio said. "This city can do it. The amazing health care professionals of this city are ready."

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De Blasio also announced a Day of Remembrance to honor those who died from coronavirus. He declared Sunday, March 14, 2021 as the official date -- March 14 is the day the first person died of coronavirus in the city.

In order to fulfill the vaccine goal, the mayor said the city will launch new COVID vaccine hubs across the city, scale up the capacity of local organizations and test and trace sites will start to do vaccinations as well.

"We are going to set up new sites all over the city, on top of the many, many sites that are already operational," he said. "We are going to expand our hospitals, clinics, neighborhoods across the city. Our goal is upwards of 250 locations citywide. This is going to be a massive effort, part of the largest single vaccination effort in the history of NYC. It's going to take a lot of work."

De Blasio added the city will need help from the federal government, state government and vaccine manufactures.

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"We can achieve a million vaccines in January," he said. "We have the ability to make that happen and we are anxious to get it done. This whole country is behind the pace it needs to be. We've got to go faster. NYC will lead the way. This is a chance for NYC to shine and help achieve the president-elect's goal. There is no reason for anything except urgency at this point."

So far, 88,000 New Yorkers have been vaccinated.

The mayor said distribution will be coordinated by the Vaccine Coordination Center.

"We will not allow in NYC for people to jump the line and use their wealth or privilege to get vaccines they should not be getting," he said. "We are already seeing this unfortunately around the country, congressional staffers, pharmaceutical company executives. We want the people who need the vaccine most to get it first, and we are going to stick to those priorities and aggressive. Health care workers, nursing home staff and residents. Keep building out from that faster and faster, make sure the distribution is based on equity and fairness. When we get out into communities, communities that are hardest hit."

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