Vaccine for All: NYC Launches New Mobile Vaccination Effort and Expands Walk-In for Seniors

April 6, 2021

NEW YORK— With the goal of making the vaccine more accessible to priority populations, Mayor Bill de Blasio today announced the launch of mobile vaccinations, with mobile vaccine vans and buses reaching some of the hardest-to-reach New Yorkers with COVID-19 vaccines. The City will also expand the number of walk-in vaccine sites for New Yorkers 75 and older at City-run vaccine sites citywide.

“We’re doing all we can to get as many shots in arms as possible,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “With over 4.6 million doses now administered, we’re going above and beyond to reach every New Yorker, deploying mobile vans and expanding walk-ins to help our city recover one dose at a time.”

Made possible by the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, the mobile vaccination effort will include a fleet of vaccine vehicles, including vans and buses equipped with four to six vaccinators each, delivering the COVID-19 vaccine directly to communities most in need, whether priority populations or neighborhoods identified by the City’s Task Force for Racial Inclusion and Equity as being hardest-hit by the virus and histories of socio-economic disparity.

At these locations, the van will offer approximately 200 vaccine doses per day, for a range of one to three days. Local community-based organizations will help New Yorkers schedule vaccination appointments with the vaccine fleet ahead of time. The fleet will also accept walk-up appointments when available. 

Today, the fleet launches with its first bus, taking vaccines on the road with a focus on reaching restaurant workers and delivery workers. Promobile Kitchen will operate this first bus, Daybreak Health will administer vaccine doses, and Relief Opportunities for All Restaurants (ROAR) will lead outreach efforts to restaurant workers, helping them sign up for appointments ahead of time and on site. Additionally, the City will assist with outreach to the community, helping to coordinate with local community-based organizations, elected officials, and industry groups to canvass and engage communities, post flyers, promote these opportunities, and fill these appointments. Vans will have live interpretation on site and vaccine materials in 12 languages.

Restaurant workers and restaurant delivery workers can schedule appointments by emailing vaccbus@roarnewyork.org, or by calling 1-833-ROAR-NYC (1-833-762-7692). Details about additional mobile vaccine sites, including hours and days of operation, will be announced in the coming weeks.

The City will expand its walk-up appointment pilot for New Yorkers over the age of 75 at City-run sites, with a full list below. Additional, site specific information can be found on nyc.gov/vaccinefinder:

Brooklyn

1. Bushwick Educational Campus
2. Canarsie HS
3. Brooklyn Army Terminal 
4. Starrett City - Spring Creek Towers 
5. Teachers Prep 
6. Flatbush YMCA
7. City Point            
8. Coney Island YMCA (opens 4/8)

Bronx

9. South Bronx Educational Campus
10. Bronx High School of Science
11. Co-Op City
12. Bathgate
13. West Bronx Gymnasium

Queens

14. Beach Channel Educational Campus
15. Long Island City
16. Korean Community Services
17. CitiField
18. Martin Van Buren Highschool

Staten Island

19. Ocean Breeze Athletic 
20. Empire Outlets

Manhattan

21. Essex Crossing
22. City College 
23. Abyssinian Baptist Church
24. Ford Foundation (opens 4/7)
25. Yeshiva University (opens 4/7)
26. Fulton Community Center (opens 4/7)

“New York City has hit an incredible stride in our vaccine rollout, reaching millions of New Yorkers over the past several months with more than 4.6 million doses administered to date,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Melanie Hartzog. “This is vital progress – but we know there’s more to do and more New Yorkers in need to vaccinate. Through our mobile vaccine fleet launching today, equipped with vans and buses, we intend to take these efforts on the road, delivering vaccines directly to populations and communities hardest-hit by the pandemic, like restaurant workers and delivery workers who’ve been on the frontlines feeding our City since the outset of this crisis. With this additional resource, we’re continuing to adapt and expand our efforts – and addressing hesitancy by making the vaccine as accessible as possible.”

 “The new mobile vaccination fleet and walk-up service build on our efforts to reach the New Yorkers most in need with life-saving vaccine as we race against the virus,” said Dr. Ted Long, Executive Director of the NYC Test & Trace Corps and Senior Vice President for Ambulatory Care and Population Health at NYC Health + Hospitals. “With these growing options for our priority communities, we are tearing down barriers to make vaccinations for all a reality in New York City.”