The Office of the Bronx Borough President announced on Monday that a “Mobile Vax Bus” will be traveling throughout the borough, offering COVID-19 vaccinations this week, starting on Monday, May 10.

 

The dates, times and locations are as follows:

 

Separately, on April 29, NYC Health + Hospitals (NYC H+H) announced the launch of three mobile units which have started traveling across New York City offering vaccines and COVID-19 tests for New Yorkers experiencing homelessness. NYC H&H has since clarified that this mobile bus vaccination program is separate from the one communicated by the Office of the Bronx Borough President.

 

NYC H+H’s Street Health Outreach and Wellness (SHOW) mobile units are engaging individuals where they are, and are also offering critical, whole person care, such as wound care, mental health screening and support, hard reduction services, and basic material necessities, like meal packages, hygiene kits, and socks.

 

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, said that during the pandemic, it had become critical to meet people – especially those at higher-risk or most vulnerable to the virus – where they were. “The three SHOW mobile units will help us further achieve this mission with our homeless population,” he said.

Homeless New Yorkers are being invited in for care and COVID-19 services, with no appointments necessary. The mobile units typically stay in a single location for two weeks, and use the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which requires only one dose.

 

Each van accommodates one patient at a time, with tents erected outside to allow more room for the required 15-minute observation period after receiving the vaccine. According to NYC H+H, the mobile units are staffed by a comprehensive team, which includes a registered nurse, two licenses practical nurses, a behavioral health specialist, and outreach staff. A physician or physician’s assistant travels across the three units to provide clinical and operational support.

 

The three SHOW mobile units are being deployed around the city for an initial two-week period. Working with the Department of Homeless Services, they were initially stationed in the Midtown Penn Station area, Upper West Side, and Washington Heights areas. Norwood News reached out to NYC H+H to ask if the SHOW buses are also now in The Bronx.

 

We received the following update. The SHOW buses are a separate operation from the general City buses (announced by the Office of the Bronx Borough President).

 

SHOW buses provide additional care services (for the homeless). Currently there is one location for this service in the South Bronx.

On the other hand, listed below are the general, City-run (non-SHOW) vaccine buses, announced earlier this week by the Office of the Bronx Borough President, and where they are stationed in the borough, this week. This information is updated here weekly.

 

NYC Mobile Bus – Allerton
738 Allerton Avenue
Bronx, NY 10467
Dates: May 13 – 15
Thursday – Friday, 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Saturday, 11:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Vaccine offered: Johnson & Johnson (18+)

NYC Mobile Bus – Fordham
2543-61 Webster Avenue
Bronx, NY 10458
Dates: May 15 – 16
Saturday – Sunday, 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Vaccine offered: Johnson & Johnson (18+)

NYC Mobile Bus – Hunts Point
101 Food Center Drive, #8A
Bronx, NY 10474
Dates: May 16
Monday – Thursday, 6:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Friday, 2:00 PM – 10:00 PM
Vaccine offered: Johnson & Johnson (18+)

NYC Mobile Bus – Mott Haven
519 E. 138th Street
Bronx, NY 10454
Dates: May 10
Sunday, 11:00 PM – 7:00 PM
Vaccine offered: Johnson & Johnson (18+)

NYC Mobile Bus – North Bronx
3901 White Plains Road
Bronx, NY 10466
Dates: May 12 – 14
Wednesday – Friday, 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Vaccine offered: Johnson & Johnson (18+)

NYC Mobile Bus – South Bronx
368 E. 149th Street
Bronx, NY 10455
Dates: May 10
Monday, 12:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Vaccine offered: Johnson & Johnson (18+)

 

City Councilman Rafael Salamanca, State Sen. Alessandra Biaggi, Assembly Member Kenny Burgos and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Representatives were present at the Hunts Point market on Wednesday, May 12. “Since the start of the pandemic, the workers at the  @huntspointmkt have been on the frontlines ensuring the region’s food supply remains undisturbed,” Salamanca tweeted. “Today, we made sure our most essential workers have access to vaccinations by bringing shots directly to them.”

 

Also, on Wednesday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo reminded New Yorkers that the MTA is hosting vaccine pop-up clinics at eight city subway stations, effective May 12. In the Bronx, the pop-up site is located at the E. 180th Street subway station serving the 2 and the 5 line, and operates daily from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. It is located in the hallway closest to the side station entrance.

Reminder: The @MTA is hosting vaccine pop-ups at 8 stations starting TODAY.

Get the free vaccine and you'll also get a free 7-day MetroCard or two one-way commuter rail tickets after you're done!

Details: https://t.co/a7Motzeou1 pic.twitter.com/QgTOkDzT7V

— Andrew Cuomo (@NYGovCuomo) May 12, 2021

 

As reported by Norwood News, New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene published a Q&A document on its website on April 29 about the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, following the recent suspension and then resumption of the vaccine’s use.

 

The vaccination rate in the Bronx is the lowest in New York City. As of May 6, it was 47 percent, versus the citywide average of 55 percent. Meanwhile, the rate in Brooklyn is 50 percent, in Manhattan, it’s 65 percent, in Queens, it’s 60 percent and on Staten Island, it’s 53 percent.

 

More locally, in ZIP code 10467, covering Norwood, Allerton, Pelham Parkway and Williamsbridge, 33 percent of residents are now fully vaccinated as of May 6, while 44 percent have had at least one dose. In ZIP code 10458, which covers Belmont, Fordham University and Kingsbridge, 30 percent of residents are now fully vaccinated, and 42 percent have had at least one dose as of the same date.

 

In Zip code 10468, which covers Fordham, Kingsbridge and University Heights, 32 percent of residents are now fully vaccinated, while 44 percent have had at least one dose, as of May 6. In ZIP code 10453, which covers Morris Heights, Mount Hope and University Heights, 31 percent of residents are now fully vaccinated and 43 percent have had at least one dose, as of the same date.

 

We also reported recently that the City is offering free tickets to a baseball game to those who get vaccinated at the City’s ballparks.

 

Meanwhile, Rite Aid is now also offering vaccinations (some without an appointment) at its citywide locations, and new facemask guidance has also recently been issued for those who have been vaccinated.