With Vaccination Clinic In Cafeteria, Cristo Rey High School Bringing COVID-19 Shots Directly To Students
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- The Big Apple has reached a new milestone. More than 8 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered.
Teenagers are among the latest group being urged to get the shot, and as CBS2's Aundrea Cline-Thomas reported Wednesday, one Harlem school is bringing the vaccine directly to them.
It is not your usual after-school activity. Students at Cristo Rey High School have been ending their day with a COVID vaccine, as the school's cafeteria has been transformed into a clinic.
"My history teacher convinced me to take the vaccine. I wasn't really confident about it," 10th grader Jimmy Delgado said.
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Even if students have been attending school in person, all of their instruction has been remote. Bringing the shots to them is an effort to change that by this fall, especially since students get hands-on work experience as part of their curriculum.
Delgado is the first in his family to get a shot, and said he is now hoping to be an example.
"I have family members who passed away from COVID, so that really impacted me. So, the vaccine is our solution now," Delgado said.
"I think our corporate partners are going through the same thing. We are trying to get people vaccinated so they can go back to their offices safely. So the more of our students are vaccinated, the more easily they can acclimate to the corporate environment," said Daniel Dougherty, president of Cristo Rey High School.
Across the city, more than 50,000 doses have been administered to 12-15-year-olds, a number Mayor Bill de Blasio expects will balloon with more targeted efforts.
"The more outreach we do, the more impact we're going to make," de Blasio said.
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Major League Baseball stepped in at Cristo Rey, facilitating the partnership with CVS. It even brought in former players Yonder Alonso and Todd Zeile to motivate the students as an added bonus.
"One step in the right direction at a time can get you to a great career and great opportunities in life," Alonso said.
One shot down, and one more to go.
"I want to be able to be able to go to school regularly and not virtually. I also want to play sports, soccer without a mask," 10th grader Marvin Perez said.
As students and staff prepare for life in a new and much safer normal.
