NEW YORK CITY — A new COVID-19 vaccine booster tailored to fight coronavirus variants is in New York City, but a massive, government-run rollout isn’t in the cards, the city’s top doctor said. The bivalent booster will be available at just seven city-run walk-in clinics, in addition to 11 public hospitals, health officials announced Friday.
Hundreds of pharmacies and health care providers will instead shoulder the vaccination drive, according to information released by the city’s health department. Indeed, the city’s role in the rollout is significantly stepped down from past COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, which saw large-scale sites where people lined up for shots, as health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan acknowledged Thursday.
“I will say clearly that we have seen a pullback of congressional emergency funds, so don’t expect to see an emergency response with popup tents and mass vaccination sites,” he said. “We are leaning on our healthcare system. We are leaning on primary care providers, we are leaning on our hospital systems, and chain pharmacies as well.”