Inoculation of the COVID-19 vaccine for 5 through 11-year-olds continued on Monday, Nov. 8, and Tuesday, Nov. 9, in the Bronx and across New York City.

During a press conference on Tuesday, Mayor Bill de Blasio said over 4,500 children got vaccinated at public schools on Nov. 8 alone. As of Tuesday, Nov. 9, the mayor confirmed that about 25,000 kids aged 5 through 11 had been vaccinated since this age group was first authorized to get the shot.

“It’s amazing,” the mayor said. “So, we see that parents are coming out, getting their kids vaccinated. We expect this to grow a lot in the coming days. This is another way we keep our city safe, and we move forward.”

As reported, the first wave of children to receive the newly authorized COVID-19 vaccine for 5 through 11-year-olds had their shots administered at the Children’s Hospital at Montefiore in Norwood on Wednesday, Nov. 3.

 

After much anticipation, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officially authorized the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children in this age group on Friday, Oct. 29.

 

The decision led the way for the vaccine to be made available to 28 million unvaccinated children across the United States, subject to its subsequent approval by the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), which came a few days later, on Tuesday, Nov. 2

 

Mayor Bill de Blasio holds a press conference at City Hall on Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021. Video courtesy of the City of New York

On Monday, 9-year-old Christopher Reyes, a 4th grader from Fordham Heights, got vaccinated at P.S. 19 in the East Village in the presence of his father, Phonz L. Reyes, a teacher, New York City Health Commissioner Dave A. Chokshi and New York City Schools Chancellor Mesiha Porter.

 

The commissioner and chancellor were on location to promote the City’s latest vaccine efforts to inoculate kids in Christopher’s age group.

 

Reyes said of his son, on receiving his shot, “This kid was a champ today, getting his first dose of the vaccine.” He added, ‘He took the vax, no tears, nothing. He’s been waiting for this and wanting to get it on his own. Proud of him. One down, one to go.”

ALL 5-11-year-old kids are eligible to get vaccinated at City-run sites and get $100!

Don’t wait any longer, get them vaccinated today: https://t.co/nZF9S7CCeK pic.twitter.com/HIj3PfoS5M

— NYC Mayor's Office (@NYCMayorsOffice) November 7, 2021

The mayor said that 24 mobile units will also be available around the City for folks who wish to get vaccinated, in addition to school vaccination sites.

 

On Sunday, Nov. 7, the mayor tweeted a reminder to New Yorkers that all kids aged 5 through 11 years of age were eligible to be vaccinated at all City-run sites in addition to public schools, and that all who did so, were also eligible to receive $100.

 

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Gov. Kathy Hochul launched a new “Vaccinate, Educate, Graduate” vaccine incentive program for 5 through 11-year-olds whereby kids in this age group who get vaccinated are entered into a lottery for a chance to win a SUNY or CUNY full scholarship.

“Our critical work to make the vaccine accessible and available to all eligible children and their families is underway, and we will creatively support and celebrate those who get vaccinated,” said the governor during a press conference in Mount Vernon. “The ‘Vaccinate, Educate, Graduate’ program is an extraordinary opportunity for children to win free tuition to a SUNY or CUNY college or university, and I urge parents and guardians to help their children get vaccinated and enter into this once-in-a-lifetime program.”

More details about the program can be found here.

Thousands of people have retweeted a picture shared by Right Said Fred of a sign urging parents to donate their children’s organs at a vaccine clinic.

The photo has been manipulated, and the original says nothing about organ donation. https://t.co/PhZeNaBICN

— Full Fact (@FullFact) November 8, 2021

 

On Monday, it was also reported that thousands of people had retweeted a doctored photo, shared by “Right Said Fred” of a sign at a pop-up vaccine clinic outside the Gillette Stadium, home to the American football team, the New England Patriots, which purported to urge parents to donate their children’s organs.

Subsequent video footage of the clinic showed the photo had been doctored from its original form and the original sign said nothing about organ donation. We have attached both tweets for comparative purposes.

Mobile #COVID19 vaccination clinic getting set up at #Patriots Training Camp right now @wbz pic.twitter.com/EdXT1BwTIL

— Nick Giovanni (@NickGNews) July 29, 2021

 

In other COVID-19 news, as reported, as part of a recently launched international phase 3 clinical trial, officials at Montefiore Health System and the Albert Einstein College of Medicine announced on Nov. 8, that they are jointly investigating whether the Merck antiviral pill, molnupiravir, approved last week in Britain for treating COVID-19, can prevent COVID-19 in unvaccinated vulnerable individuals living with people who have contracted the disease.

 

Meanwhile, Chokshi summed up the latest ongoing vaccine efforts at the schools, saying the best part was hearing the reasons why children were getting vaccinated. “Some of the whys that we heard yesterday were about gathering more safely over the holidays with kids’ grandparents, with playing sports more safely, or to protect an even younger sibling, you know, that people have at home,” he said. “But maybe my favorite one from yesterday was, ‘Everyone else in my family has already gotten vaccinated. I’m the only one left.’”