Mayor Bill de Blasio Launches Vaccination of New York City at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens

By Yehudit Garmaise

   In an inspiring speech this morning, Mayor Bill de Blasio called the COVID vaccine “last great battle against the coronavirus.”

   In a press conference and celebration this morning at Elmhurst Hospital in Queens, the mayor paid tribute to the city’s Health + Hospitals, which he said heroically treated tens of thousands of New Yorkers and “saved New York City,” which hospital workers will continue to do as they vaccinate the city, after they are vaccinated themselves.

   In hushed and dramatic moment that was met with a standing ovation by an audience of 100, two frontline healthcare workers, after Veronica Delgado and William Kelly, were the first two New Yorkers to be vaccinated a public hospital in the city.

   Delgado, who is a lead physician’s assistant in Elmhurst’s emergency department and Kelly, who is service aid to the environmental services department, both said they felt grateful to be among the first New Yorkers to get the shot.

   “I feel very privileged to be among the first to get the vaccine,” said Delgado, who modestly added that she felt “there are people who are more ‘front line’ [than me] who are more deserving.” 

   Delgado also said that all the healthcare workers at Elmhurst were eager to get vaccinated and hoped that everyone would get vaccinated quickly, to which Mitch Katz, MD, the president and Chief Executive Officer of NYC Health + Hospitals, responded that everyone in Elmhurst Hospital should be vaccinated within three weeks. 

    In fact, the last 48 hours since the vaccine arrived in New York City, more than 1600 healthcare workers have been vaccinated in the city, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

     “That is a huge step forward, the mayor. "The good news is you are going to see more and more people getting vaccinated."

    “My message to non-healthcare providers is that while you have to do your own research and everyone has to make his or her own decisions, we should not be afraid of the vaccine,” said Delgado, who added some good advice that was met with laughter and applause, “And don’t get your information off of Facebook.”

  “Everyone should take the shot, so we can all get back together,” Kelly added.

Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office