Feb 3, 2021
- Today I'm excited to announce that Yankee Stadium will open as a mass vaccination site on Friday for eligible Bronx residents. As you may know, the Bronx has the highest positivity rate of all New York City boroughs, and many Bronx communities have suffered disproportionately during this pandemic. It is with that in mind that the iconic home of the Bronx Bombers will be reserved for Bronx residents. The site is by appointment only and 15,000 appointments will be available during the first week. The site is launching in partnership with the New York Yankees, SOMOS Community Care, the City of New York and the New York National Guard. If you're a Bronx resident who is eligible for the vaccine, schedule an appointment by visiting Somosvaccinations.com or by calling 1-833-SOMOSNY.
Here's what else you need to know tonight:
1. Thirty-five pop-up vaccination sites are coming online this week at churches, community centers, public housing complexes and cultural centers across the state. These sites are expected to vaccinate over 25,000 people throughout the week, with more sites coming online every week. Since January 15, the deployment of community vaccination kits has enabled nearly 9,000 New Yorkers to receive their first COVID-19 vaccine dose, often in communities where there are very limited health care options. Learn more.
2. Total COVID-19 hospitalizations rose to 8,082. Of the 126,489 tests reported yesterday, 5,925, or 4.68 percent, were positive. There were 1,522 patients in the ICU yesterday, up 19 from the previous day. Of them, 1,003 are intubated. Sadly, we lost 160 New Yorkers to the virus.
3. As of 11am this morning, 92 percent of first doses received by the State have been administered. This represents 1,432,195 first doses administered of the 1,554,450 first dose allocations received from the federal government. So far, 331,579 second doses have been administered out of 725,050 second doses received. See data by region on the State's Vaccine Tracker.
4. Five New York companies have been awarded grants to produce COVID-related equipment and supplies to support in-state needs. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed serious issues in our nation's medical supply chain, and we were forced to compete overseas and pay exorbitant prices for life-saving products. We learned the hard lesson that these resources need to be manufactured here in the U.S., and we are taking steps to build the infrastructure we need here in New York to keep us prepared for future crises. Today's awards to these New York companies will do just that, while helping local companies create new jobs.
Tonight's "Deep Breath Moment": A rare fossilized dinosaur footprint was found in the United Kingdom—by a 4-year-old girl. The girl, Lily Wilder, spotted the impression while taking a nature walk with her father on a beach near the town of Barry, Wales. Scientists believe it was left by a previously unidentified species of dinosaur about 215 million years ago. The print is unique in being well preserved, showing individual claw and pad impressions from the dinosaur's foot. The fossil was brought to the National Museum in Cardiff for further study by paleontologists.
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