One Brooklyn
February 17, 2021
Brooklyn, NY – Today, the Committee on Health, chaired by Council Member Mark Levine, heard Resolution 1535, sponsored by Council Member I. Daneek Miller, at the request of Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams and 25 other council members, representing a majority of the City Council. The bill calls upon the New York State Legislature to pass, and the Governor to sign, legislation that would allow local health departments to implement changes to improve the COVID-19 vaccine rollout so that it meets the needs of the City’s vulnerable and hardest-hit communities of color.
Despite being the “epicenter of the epicenter,” outerborough Black, Latino, and Asian communities that endured the worst of the pandemic have been inoculated at far lower rates than their white counterparts. Recent reporting continues to highlight the lack of easy access to vaccination appointments, and, according to the City’s own data, residents have been forced to wait weeks, if not months, before they are able to be scheduled for one. Since the recent expansion of eligibility, the need for immediate reform to the City’s vaccination efforts is even more necessary as more New Yorkers with underlying health conditions seek out vaccine appointments to protect themselves and their loved ones. Resolution 1535 includes language calling on the immediate implementation of a vaccine appointment stand-by list, a vaccination hotline to make appointments in real-time, and a map of currently operating vaccine distribution sites to create a more seamless and accessible vaccination network.
“Since the beginning of the vaccination process, my colleagues in government and I have raised concerns about having a plan in place to ensure an equitable distribution. Recent data has shown our concerns were justified. We need a real-time demographic data vaccination reporting system to track vaccination rates so that we do not see the same disparities that we saw in testing, hospitalizations, and deaths. Many steps that I have called for have been implemented, such as expansion of eligibility to receive the vaccine and the establishment of 24-hour vaccination sites. However, much more remains to be done to ensure the most vulnerable are receiving the COVID-19 vaccine in proportionate rates to their eligibility. I thank the City Council for hearing our legislation today, and I urge its swift passage,” said Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams.
“Before the first vaccine was ever distributed in New York City, my colleagues and I called for the prioritization of vaccine distribution to communities hardest hit by this deadly pandemic,” said Council Member and Black, Latino, and Asian Caucus (BLAC) Co-Chair I. Daneek Miller. “We called for a real-time, data-driven dashboard that would identify, where, when, and how the vaccine is distributed after witnessing the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on communities of color. Months later, we are seeing the same disparity in vaccine access, complicated by the discontinuity between the City and State. With this resolution, we are quantifying our months-long fight for vaccine equity, and taking the necessary steps to ensure that communities of color, essential workers, and our most vulnerable receive priority access to the vaccine.”
“Vaccines have yet to be in abundance, but vaccinations from the City’s existing stock continue to lag in our hardest hit Black, Brown, and Asian communities,” said Council Member and BLAC Co-Chair Adrienne Adams. “Despite having the highest COVID-19 positivity rates, my district’s Richmond Hill, South Ozone Park, and South Jamaica communities are among those with the lowest number of COVID-19 vaccinations. If these disparities are not swiftly addressed in the manner proposed by Resolution 1535, these neighborhoods will soon find themselves at the mercy of the rapidly spreading, vaccine-resistant coronavirus variants that have the potential to cause a level of devastation greater than what they have already suffered.”
“I am pleased to join my colleagues in the City Council, the BLA Caucus, and Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams in support of Resolution 1535, legislation that will allow local health departments to implement changes to improve the COVID-19 vaccine rollout. We are at a critical juncture in our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, a virus that continues to cause serious harm to the community. While we are grateful that a vaccine is now available and appreciate the dedication of our doctors and nurses to help their fellow New Yorkers, it is important to ensure that the vaccine is distributed evenly to all those who are eligible. Far too often, we have seen unequal access to health care resources for hardworking New Yorkers due to barriers caused by factors such as language, access to technology, a lack of transparency, and socioeconomic status. This is not right, and as public servants, it is our moral obligation to be more proactive in our efforts to make the COVID-19 vaccine accessible to all who are eligible. I believe that by making the necessary changes at a local level, health departments will be better equipped to reach more of the population as they vaccinate New Yorkers from COVID-19,” said Council Member Mathieu Eugene.
“Whether it’s a lack of translation services, or lack of accessible sites, the distribution of vaccines in communities of color remains as inequitable as ever. We urge the State to implement these reforms, bridge the gap, and kickstart the vaccination process so that all communities are accounted for,” said Council Member Peter Koo.
“Now that we have the data, which my colleagues and I pushed for, what we’ve known has been confirmed — there’s an equity and access issue. The neighborhoods and the communities hardest hit by COVID-19 should not have the lowest vaccination rate. These are Latino, Black, and immigrant communities, essential workers, and seniors in my district and across New York City. Instead of fighting this pandemic, we are fighting for equitable vaccine distribution. This resolution will help change the course of action of how the most vulnerable are prioritized,” said Council Member and BLAC Vice Chair Francisco Moya.
“It is alarming to see that the communities in New York City most impacted by the spread of COVID-19 throughout this pandemic, largely Black and Brown New Yorkers, are now enduring the inequity of our City’s COVID-19 response. We must demand an urgent reform to the City’s vaccination efforts, and I believe that the legislation Council Member I. Daneek Miller has sponsored will help to accelerate much-needed change. While New York State has made good steps in the right direction with the establishment of pop-up vaccination sites in communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, like South Richmond Hill in Assembly District 31, this is still much more work ahead. The creation of a vaccination hotline to make appointments in real-time is a particularly pertinent part of this resolution because it may benefit members of our communities with less access to the internet to make vaccination appointments. We have recently seen industrious New Yorkers build independent websites and use social media to bring clarity to vaccination availability; while we appreciate these efforts, innovations like these, via phone or online, must ultimately be the responsibility of the government,” said Assembly Member Khaleel M. Anderson.
In addition to Borough President Adams and Council Member Miller, co-sponsors of Resolution 1535 include Committee on Health Chair Levine and Council Members Adrienne Adams, Alicka Ampry-Samuel, Diana Ayala, Justin Brannan, Fernando Cabrera, Margaret Chin, Laurie Cumbo, Darma Diaz, Mathieu Eugene, Vanessa Gibson, Barry Grodenchik, Ben Kallos, Peter Koo, Brad Lander, Farah Louis, Francisco Moya, Bill Perkins, Keith Powers, Antonio Reynoso, Kevin Riley, Ydanis Rodriguez, Deborah Rose, Helen Rosenthal, and Rafael Salamanca. A video recording of the hearing is available at council.nyc.gov/livestream.
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