Three state-run mass vaccination sites in New York City are officially open to 5- to 11-year-olds, adding to the list of sites where eligible kids can get a coronavirus shot, Governor Kathy Hochul announced.
The sites--Bay Eden Senior Center in the Bronx, Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, and the Aqueduct Racetrack in Queens--are on the list of mass vaccination sites the state opened up to children beginning Saturday as part of a campaign to boost vaccination rates. Early this month, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine for children in that age group after the Food and Drug Administration Administration approved its use for children in October.
Read More: NYC Begins COVID Vaccine Push For 5-11 Kids, With Public Schools To Host Pop-Up Clinics
"Parents have been waiting for the ability to protect their young children from COVID-19, and we are doing everything we can to make that possible," Hochul said in a statement.
New York City has already made the shot available across its network of sites, including its public hospital network at public schools. In a move to incentivize young people, the city announced that children in the age 5-11 group vaccinated at a city-run site will receive a $100 gift card.
Read More: NY Pediatricians Prep For Early Rush to Vaccinate Youngsters
The state has also launched its own incentive program, "Vaccinate, Educate, Graduate," where children ages 5 to 11 are entered into a contest where they will win a full scholarship to a SUNY or CUNY college or university if they get their first dose by December 19th.
According to the state's estimates, nearly 50,000 kids in the 5-11 age group have received at least one dose in the New York.
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