COVID Vaccine: Bronx Residents Can Begin Scheduling Appointments For Johnson & Johnson Shots
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- There was another major milestone on Wednesday morning in the fight to end COVID-19.
At Yankee Stadium, vaccination appointments opened up for the newly approved Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
New Yorkers told CBS2's Christina Fan they were elated to have another option.
"I would take any vaccine that was given to me at this point," Upper East Side resident Mike Smith said.
"Any shot is better than no shot at all," added Kelly Coke of the Bronx.
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Under Gov. Andrew Cuomo's pilot program, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be administered at three state-run sites. The locations will be open 24 hours a day and administer the shots overnight, starting Thursday at Yankee Stadium, and then at the New York State Fair and Javits Center on Friday.
Appointments open up the day before.
"I would have come any time. Any time I can get an appointment, I would make it my first priority," said Sena Baron of Sleepy Hollow.
"It's great. We need to get reopen. We need to get our businesses back," added David Tunney of Huntington.
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As more shots become available and more groups qualify, wait times also appear to be increasing. On Tuesday, the hundreds that showed up at the Javits Center in Manhattan had to stand in line for four hours.
Officials say as they expand to vaccinate more New Yorkers, folks might notice some growing pains.
"That's why we made it early, too, but they said to correct that they're going to make it 24/7," Breezy Point's Regina Campbell said.
City health leaders also emphasized at a media briefing Wednesday that what brand of vaccine you receive is really not important.
"When you look at the outcome that we care about the most, severe illness and death, all three vaccines that are authorized by the FDA have the same exact impact on those," said Dr. Jay Varma, the city's senior advisor for public health.
President Joe Biden has said the vaccine supply should be strong by May.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said he believes the city will be able to reach its target of vaccinating 5 million New Yorkers by June.
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Another community-focused vaccination site opened Wednesday at the National Guard Armory in Yonkers.
The partnership between the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the state is part of the effort to bring the vaccine to underserved communities.
People living in parts of Yonkers and Mount Vernon can scheduled appointments through the state's website or by calling the vaccination hotline at 1-833-NYS-4-VAX.
CBS2's Christina Fan and John Dias contributed to this report