All NYC Adults Are Vaccine Eligible but Access Gaps Remain

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Brian: It's the Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. Good morning, everyone. Everyone in New York State ages 16 and up is now eligible for a COVID vaccine. That took effect yesterday. New Jersey will make everyone 16 and up eligible on Monday, April 19th. Yesterday, in case you missed it, President Biden ordered every state to do that too, full eligibility for 16 and up by Monday, April 19th. The vaccines are still being tested on 15s and younger.

We'll open up the phones in a minute for your stories of being a newly eligible vaccine hunter. We have two guests who will take your vaccine appointment navigation questions, but we know by now that eligibility for a vaccine doesn't mean you can easily find one necessarily and definitely doesn't mean that the shots are reaching all eligible people equally.

For example, a New York Post analysis of city government data published on Monday finds just 21% of people have been vaccinated in Far Rockaway in the Queens ZIP code 11691. Just 21% in Far Rockaway compared to a whopping 64% of those on the upper East side in ZIP code 10075. Ironically, and sadly, the ZIP code for one of the biggest vaccination hubs city field in the Flushing and corona ZIP code 11368, has just 20% of its residents vaccinated so far, even though that big hub is there. Even among people 75 and up who were eligible first, many are still proving hard to get vaccine access to.

If you heard this just yesterday, Mayor de Blasio announced the city will open 25 walk-in centers where people 75 and up can just show up and get a shot without having to make an appointment first. There have been just three of those sites, but the city has now determined that the need among those 75 plus is still so great as to want expanding that to 25 locations. Lack of vaccination has consequences for individuals and for communities.

Remember, even as things are reopening, the pandemic is not over. New York City is still seeing around 3,000 new cases a day with nearly 200 new hospitalizations a day in the last two weeks. Glen Rock High School in Bergen County is going back to all remote for the rest of this week because 24 cases popped up in that one school when the teens came back from spring break on Monday, according to nj.com.

The New York Times reports that hospitalizations in New Jersey increased by 15% over the last two weeks. Here is a very chilling stat. A new report from The Journal of the American Medical Association network concludes that nearly 40,000 children in this country have lost a parent to COVID, with Latino kids hardest hit. Our WNYC and Gothamist reporter Karen Yi analyzed New Jersey data, which found Latino adult men under 50, the age group most likely to have kids still at home, Latino men under 50 have died from COVID at twice the rate of Black men and seven times the rate of white men in the same age group. Getting vaccines into arms matters so much to our oldest neighbors and our youngest.

Back with us now is S. Mitra Kalita, co-founder, and publisher of Epicenter-NYC, a newsletter to help New Yorkers get through the pandemic. Epicenter has helped more than 5,000 people navigate vaccine registration. She's also co-founder of URL Media, a network of Black and brown-oriented news sites and she was previously vice president at CNN Digital before launching her current news organizations.

She held an event last night I understand with tips and tricks for finding an available vaccine. Also, with us, Dr. Victor Peralta, a pediatrician in private practice in Jackson Heights and a member of SOMOS Community Care, a network of providers in the Bronx, Queens, Manhattan, and Brooklyn who have come together to ensure better health care for Medicaid members. He also used to practice at Elmhurst Hospital, which, of course, was one of the medical center epicenters of the pandemic early on. Mitra, welcome back and Dr. Peralta, thanks for coming on. Welcome to WNYC.

Dr. Victor Peralta: Thank you for having us.

Mitra Kalita: Thanks, Brian.

Brian: Dr. Peralto, of course, Elmhurst Hospital and the whole area around there were so hard hit at the beginning of the pandemic. As people even outside the neighborhood will probably remember. How are things now in Jackson Heights and the area where you practice in terms of new cases and deaths compared to the rest of the city?

Dr. Victor Peralta: The pandemic, if you walk out into the street, it looks like it's a different city than we saw just a year ago, but the pandemic is still there. We still have thousands of people being diagnosed, being admitted, and dying from COVID, not as much as last year, but of course, this is not a measure of the efforts that have been done until now. It's more of these waves that come in depending on how strictly people adhere to the recommendations of distancing and protecting themselves.

Brian: On that devastating stat of 40,000 US children losing a parent to COVID so far with Latino families hardest hit, could you describe a little bit of it or if and how you're seeing that in your practice as a pediatrician or the community that has used your services?

Dr. Victor Peralta: Yes. We've actually lived in person. We've had staff from my practice who were affected by COVID and who died because of COVID early during the pandemic. We saw the effect of the pandemic on the Latino population in Jackson Heights, Corona, and Elmhurst which most of my personal demographic in my office. We saw how this was affecting adults and children disproportionately in our neighborhood.

Brian: Before we go to Mitra and start talking about vaccine eligibility becoming universal in New York State for everybody over 16 yesterday and how that's going on the first day, Dr. Peralta, what resources are there, financial and emotional for families with children at home who lose a parent if you're involved enough on that aspect of it to know?

Dr. Victor Peralta: The support of psychologists and mental health experts to help the children and adults in families that have lost loved ones to the pandemic are limited because we have been telling people to stay home. They are afraid to go to medical offices. There is less availability of appointments to go see health professionals now and then financially, at least in the neighborhood where I practice, the financial support for people who are a lot of them recent immigrants, a lot of them undocumented is also limited, but it is there. In New York, fortunately, we have universal coverage for health on children who are less than 19. If these children need help, they will be contacting their primary care pediatricians and getting help from them.

Brian: Mitra, I see on your bio page, it says you like to write headlines. What might your headline be from day one of vaccine eligibility for all adults in New York?

Mitra: I'm going to say it's a good news story on supply. My headline would probably be, "New York does not have a supply issue. We have a communications issue." Meaning from what I'm seeing, if you are over the age of 16 in New York, you have internet access, you can head to a pharmacy at 5:00 PM if they call you and say, "Hey, we have extra doses. Get here right now. You'll be all good," or if you can navigate Facebook and Twitter and pop up sites and so forth, I think you're going to be just fine. That's the good news.

The bad news is that we're still hearing from elderly folks who have been eligible for months saying, "I think I qualify for the vaccine. Can you help me get one?" We're three months in, Brian. That's the part that's still giving me some pause over painting this too positively.

Brian: Listeners, help us report the story of day one of universal adult eligibility for COVID vaccines in New York State. 646-435-7280. If you became newly eligible yesterday and tried to get an appointment, how'd that go and what advice can our guests Mitra Kalita, who is really, really good at this, and Dr. Peralta give you? You can call with a story or you can call and ask for advice. 646-435-7280. 646-435-7280.

As we continue in the series with Mitra Kalita, a weekly on the show for a few weeks here to try to match arms with vaccine doses and any questions or your experiences regarding vaccine equity as well from access, or hesitancy or any other standpoints on equity 646-435-7280, 646-435-7280 or you can tweet your story or your question @BrianLehrer. Mitra, let me stay with you.

Since you mentioned the oldest New Yorkers still not getting as much access as we might think Mayor de Blasio did announce those new pop-up in mobile vaccine distribution methods and sights yesterday where people 75 plus can walk up without an appointment. By the way, listeners, as a tip, I understand the person who accompanies a 75 plus individual to one of those sites is also eligible while you're there. What holes do these present Mitra? What holes do they fail? Let me ask it that way. What holes do they not feel? If you have an opinion on that.

Mitra: I think the walk-up program expanding is great. I just feel like the more, and we've been sharing the list of-- I think it's 26 locations, where folks can go. Your point on accompanying someone is a really good one because if you're saying, "I just want to be able to walk up and get my vaccine, I don't want to deal with all the internet systems it takes to get it." Great, you just need to find someone over the age of 75 and you're golden. The challenge with it is just getting the word out. Many of the forums being used to get the word out are the same communications means that the folks who are already getting their vaccines are using.

That's Facebook, Twitter, press conferences from Governor Cuomo or Mayor de Blasio. Unless you're really tuned in, it's difficult to get this information. Especially, Dr. Peralta and I are in Jackson Heights, Corona, Elmhurst, these are communities that are largely immigrant communities. We've relied on two things at Epicenter, one is word of mouth. That's hard in a year where we're telling people to stay home, not go to their mosques, not gather, not meet for dinner parties, which is really how immigrant communities get the news out.

The second is the ethnic media. You mentioned in my bio I also run URL media which is a network of Black and brown news outlets. Epicenter has been able to connect with, let's say the Bangladeshi channel, and when they say Epicenter can help you get a vaccine, I hear from dozens of Bangladeshi taxi drivers. I think the more we can use existing means that these communities are already tapped into, whether it's ethnic media, their mosques, the restaurants where they work, places where people gather. Unfortunately, we're still seeing a disconnect between where the vaccine sites are located, the word about getting your vaccine, and the actual places where people are still gathering virtually or in real life.

Brian: Let's take a phone call. Alexander, in Queens. You're on WNYC. Hi, Alexander

Alexander: Hi, Ryan. Thanks for having me on. I became eligible yesterday. I'm under 30. I was amused because as a tech-savvy younger millennial, I ended up having to book over the phone because the state website was redirecting Queens residents to the Brooklyn only location and I found out later it was redirecting Brooklyn residents to the Queens only location. I believe that's been fixed. I was able to book over the phone. If anyone is having issues, the state phone hotlines actually is super responsive and they're really helpful.

Brian: You want to give that number? Do you know it by heart?

Alexander: I can remember partly not the whole thing [crosstalk]

Brian: That's all right. I can look it back up or maybe Mitra can help with that. Alexander if you got it through the state phone number, I think that means you were limited to the state facilities per se. Javits Center in a number of other things. Where did you find your vaccine?

Alexander: Yes, that's right. I got it at York College. There's that one, there's Medgar Evers in Brooklyn, Aqueduct Racetrack and I think maybe a couple of others.

Brian: Alexandra, thank you for checking in with us. Mitra, you want to pick up a couple of points from that. First, if you have that New York State phone number, it's great to hear that even on the day when God knows how many people became eligible yesterday, as it suddenly opened up to everybody 16 plus, that that phone number had people who were there ready to be responsive. If you have that at your fingertips, otherwise, I will look that up and give it to everybody in a minute. Also, the pros and cons of doing it that way.

Mitra: Sure. The New York State vaccine hotline is 833-697-4829. I'll just repeat that 833-697-4829. I'll give you the New York City vaccine hotline as well. We've had good luck with both of these 877-829-4692. I'll repeat that 877-829-4692. The benefit of these hotlines is that they're great for seniors who are not on the internet, they're great for folks who just might need some help navigating where can I go and sort of getting their options. What Ryan just said is very true. Yesterday, Medgar Evers was switching to York and York was switching to Medgar Evers, there was a period where the state sites reverted to a previous version.

I believe some of the pharmacy sites still had not updated to include 16 and above. At this point, every time they expand eligibility, I think we've gotten used to a day or two of glitches. One thing I would just advise your audiences is just to be patient. I know that might feel like you've been waiting a long time for your vaccine, but these first few days there are definitely glitches. We don't really have any workarounds. The one that the caller just mentioned of just getting a human on the phone is a really good one.

Brian: Here's another success story I think from Taylor in Brooklyn. Taylor, you're on WNYC. Thanks for calling in.

Taylor: Yes, hi. Thanks for having me. Yesterday was my first-day eligibility. My wife and I, we both went on TurboVax and we were able to get linked up, she got one in the Bronx. She actually-- Those are licensed from the Bronx, I got one in Brooklyn and Medgar Evers. I saw that there were problems with it, but I was able to just go through the website and do it. What I'm calling about actually, this I went in my Bodega afterwards, the guys have been working the entire time whole pandemic, and I was just asking, I was like, "You've been eligible forever. Did you guys get vaccinated?" because I was psyched that I just got my appointment, I was like, "Yes, I just go my appointment."

They're like, "No, and nobody in there had been." I was like, "Why not?" They started saying, "Well, I called the number a couple of times they didn't have any appointments, I'm working 60 hours a week, when am I actually going to go." They just seemed mystified by the whole thing. It wasn't accessible to them. There lies the problem where it's like me I can work from home, I got a TurboVax, I did it online, I can refresh over and over, but these guys can't. How do we solve that problem? Because they're the ones that are more front-facing in the pandemic, meeting and greeting more people. What do your guests think?

Brian: Taylor, thank you so much. You've really encapsulated such a huge problem in a nutshell there. Dr. Peralta, what were you thinking as you heard Taylor's question?

Dr. Peralta: I heard this so many times. We in SOMOS, our physician association, these are independent physicians that work in the communities in New York that are underserved and highly immigrant and lower-income. We run centers both for the state and the city. We staff them, vaccination centers, and I've been working on these centers in four boroughs of New York over the last three months. I hear this all the time. We know that the problem just like Mitra mentioned is not necessarily a lack of vaccines, it's a lack of access to the appointments and a lack of information on the part of people who don't have that facility with technology to get them.

I think just about 10 days ago or two weeks ago, Governor Cuomo announced that he would start distributing vaccines to the doctor's offices, I think that is a big step. In first convincing people who still have doubts about getting them. The primary care provider is able to administer the vaccine and talk to them about it. Also, facilitating physical access of the people to the vaccines. If you have to transport yourself two miles away to get a vaccine wherever you find an appointment, it's going to be hard for people who have to work.

Brian: Mitra, what's the best solution to this, Dr. Peralta just mentioned one thing. Sometimes it's so frustrating I know for you as well as for us that we cite the same problem over and over again. We state what these obstacles are for people in different circumstances in and around our area. Then, the government tries one thing here one thing there. They're a pop-up site. They're mobile sites. Now they're going to be distributing vaccines to individual doctor's offices, as Dr. Peralta was just describing, that's great. Do you feel like there are things that are not being done yet that you can name that could still be done?

Mitra: Sure. I do love the SOMOS sites. I think that they have been invaluable, especially in immigrant communities. What I love about SOMOS is early on, they have been in places of worship and other non-traditional vaccine sites if you will. I think that's a great option. I think that the way that we engage with folks who don't yet have their vaccine is something else that all of us as New Yorkers can do. One is, can I help you get it? What's stopping you from getting it? I think tone is really important here, non-judgmental positivity. Really trying to make it easy for people is how we start to get more shots in arms.

Documentation is a huge issue. It doesn't necessarily come up right away when you say to someone, why haven't you gotten it yet? You've been eligible for several months. If in subsequent conversation that comes up that document like, "I'm not here, legally," or "Yes, I'm here legally, but this grocery store pays me under the table or pays me cash." I think one thing is just to really stress that all you need to get your vaccine is your ID stating like, "This is who I am," proof that you live in New York City, that can be a letter from a roommate. It doesn't need to be a utility bill. It can just be a letter saying you live in New York City.

In the case of some of these workers, if their employer writes them a note saying they work there that is not going anywhere. It's just for the person to check that you are indeed who you say you are. I think making documentation easy and undoing that is a stress or an obstacle. Then, we've talked about mobile sites and pop-ups, which are great. I think one challenge is getting the word out. It'll be on like I said, Facebook and Twitter. Then, the mobile site is there. I just mentioned word of mouth in communities. Somebody might go to the corner where they heard there's vaccines, and it's gone.

If we can get some consistency in these mobile sites and have locations, one side is could we be in all of the city's Chinatowns? Here in Jackson Heights, Elmhurst hospital is right across the way from our little South Asia, and the restaurants and in commercial strip there. Is there some way to connect that population just across the street to say, "You can work in between the hours of 2:00 to 5:00." The last thing I'll mention is that Ramadan is beginning very soon and one stumbling block we've been hearing are folks who do not want to get their vaccines during Ramadan.

When I hear that I get very stressed out because I worry they still will gather during Ramadan. If there's any way the city can prioritize neighborhoods with large Muslim populations, including here in Jackson Heights, Corona, and Elmhurst. I just think if we could get to that before April 12th or 13th. The J&J vaccine feels like the best option because it's one and done. That's just something else we're hearing from people in terms of the timing that they're trying to front end in the next few days.

Brian: That is such a great idea that you had that you mentioned to us off the air because Ramadan starts next Monday and last month, you said if you were a city official, you would offer the Johnson & Johnson one dose vaccines at mosques across the city this Friday. Is there anybody taking you up on that?

Mitra: Well, Brian, let's see. I think you have a bigger listenership than the subscriber base of Epicenter. If anyone is interested in doing that, I can tell you where to go. I have our Bangladeshi friend from TBN 24, who's been on your show, Brian, and he's excellent Habib Romane and we will publicize that. We could connect you with the folks if anyone wants to take us up on that.

Brian: All right. Listeners if you want to do that, but also the city should do it. Nate in Newark Airport. You're on WNYC. Hi, Nate.

Nate: Hi, Brian. Thank you for taking my call. I've spoken with you a couple of times. I appreciate it. Earlier you mentioned holes in the system and I feel like I'm one of those holes in the system because I live in New Jersey, but I'm actually a New York Uber driver. What that did is I'm not a resident in New York, so they won't cover me there. In New Jersey, they say I'm not a frontline worker because I don't work in New Jersey and neither one wants to hear from me at all.

I'm glad that next week, or on the 19th, it's all going to change. It's been really frustrating and a little scary because I didn't drive through the entire pandemic, but I drove through quite a bit of it, and with the safety measures of bleaching my car, and all of that type of stuff, and I'm still wearing a mask, plastic separating me from my passengers. It's really stressful. I thought it was going to be a tri-state effort, but it doesn't seem to be that way. I feel like we're a forgotten group and I don't feel like I'm alone.

Brian: I know that access got restricted at some of the New York sites to people who live in New York after there are a lot of people from the suburbs coming in and that was increasing the disparity. Mitra can somebody in his status who can show that he works in New York, not live in New York get a New York vaccine?

Mitra: I believe the answer is yes. We've had many taxi drivers and Uber drivers in precisely the state of the caller. Citi Field is prioritizing, Uber and TLC. If you want to give your information to one of Brian's producers, I'm happy to try to help you. Then, that New York State vaccine hotline, many of the New York City sites, do allow folks who work in New York City to get their vaccines within certain occupations including taxi and Uber.

The other thing is that the Uber app for drivers it's the best occupation letter that I've seen, just saying, "This caller is who he says he is. He really drives for Uber across the state lines," and that's something else that can help you on these sites to get your vaccine. Yes, it will have to be in New York City, though not yet in New Jersey, I believe.

Brian: Nate, I hope that's helpful. If you want to hold on and give your contact information, we'll be happy to take it and connect you with Epicenter-NYC Mitra's organization. We're going to take a call next with someone calling anonymously from Harlem. Hi, you're on WNYC. Thank you so much for calling in.

Speaker: Hi, Brian. I'm a first-time caller, but I listen to your show almost every day. Thank you very much for taking my call.

Brian: Thank you.

Speaker: My problem is that I have so much information about the vaccines, and many of them are what I want to hear. I'm a survivor of polio and meningitis, and I was vaccinated. I was trying to reach my primary doctor and I can never reach him. I would like to know if I'm safe when I'm getting the vaccine and I have no idea what to do any longer?

Brian: Do you have specific concerns about safety of the vaccines, which I think have been demonstrated to be incredibly safe? Oh, well, because you've had polio and meningitis. Well, Dr. Peralta can you step in on this?

Dr. Peralta: Yes. From experience, of millions of vaccinations and the trials and these vaccines that we're using all over the world, it's been, I think fully demonstrated that they are safe on people with history of medical conditions such as the ones that you mentioned. I'm sure if you are able to reach your physician, he is going to recommend you get them. They're very safe and they will not cause any increased reaction or cross-reaction with the conditions that you've had in your medical history. You should feel confident to get it and you should get it. You qualify for it. You are at a higher risk of complications from the disease if you catch it.

Brian: The threat from COVID if she were to catch it with her medical history way outweighs any threat from the vaccine, you're saying? I think you're saying that vaccine despite her medical history presents a risk of close to zero?

Dr. Peralta: That is correct.

Brian: I hope that answers your question. I hope you can get your shot and get over that hump. Obviously, you need to talk to your own doctors if you still have questions. I hope that's helpful and thank you for your call. Dr. Peralta to expand on that on vaccine hesitancy, I read that more than a third of healthcare workers who've been offered vaccines have declined them. Health care workers along with people 75 plus were the first to be offered the vaccine. The rates among them seem to be fairly different.

I've seen stats like in nursing homes, I think this is a national stat, but I'm not sure, but that in nursing homes nearly 100% of residents say yes, but maybe half the staff on average says no. Are you seeing this among your colleagues in Queens in healthcare and if so how would you explain it?

Dr. Peralta: I'm laughing because yes I have. We have to realize that health care workers and physicians and nurses and therapists are people too. They have the same misinformation, misconceptions, fear, sometimes justifiable fears of a new treatment, a new vaccine, and a medication for a disease that is known and itself. Yes, we have had hesitancy on the medical field just as in the general population. It's sad because these are, of course, the same people that should be pushing people to get vaccinated. These are the people who provide the information to the patients and it's lower than in the general population, but we have some providers of health care that are not getting the vaccine, sadly.

Brian: Any last thought on that in 30 seconds, Mitra, and then I'm going to ask you to give a few of those phone numbers and contact websites again as we finish up here for people still vaccine hunting?

Mitra: Sure. I think the caller is reflecting something we're hearing a lot just among-- I won't repeat the misconceptions, but the Moderna versus Pfizer versus J&J, and what will they do to me. Some of this is people saying, "I've heard for certain ethnic groups and it is indeed a lot of misinformation that's out there." I got to say, I've been torn on this one because the CDC says-- I think Dr. Fauci himself has said the best vaccine is the one that you can get first and I've really tried to adhere to that guidance.

On the other hand, if the way to get someone vaccinated is to get them the vaccine they want and that's what it takes, I think we have to be willing to work with people. Just one quick note on what the city and state could be doing is to make it very clear what vaccine is offered at which site. The same goes for pop-ups and some of these mobile units. I think just the more information we're giving people is way better than the alternative.

Brian: One more time those city and state vaccine appointment phone numbers and a contact for your group if you want to give it.

Mitra: Sure. The New York City of vaccine hotline is 877-829-4692. The New York State vaccine hotline is 833-697-4829. If you want to reach Epicenter at this point, the best way to get your fastest response would be email hello@epicenter-nyc.com. That's hello@epicenter-nyc.com.

Brian: A couple of other websites people have used I know and people on hold were calling in to shout them out, but we don't have time to take those calls. TurboVax and vaccinefinder.org. More ways, folks, now that everybody 16 Plus is eligible in New York State. Good luck out there. Mitra, you have performed such a service with this, trying to connect vaccines to the harder to reach harder to provide access to populations. Thanks and keep coming on with us. Dr. Peralta thank you for your work and for your time today.

Dr. Peralta: It was a pleasure.

Mitra: Thank you, Brian.

 

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