FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

BRONX, NY – On Mayor Bill de Blasio’s daily press call, Council Member Eric Dinowitz was asked to speak about the latest vaccine initiative being taken on by the City – vaccinations done in the schools. On Friday, New York City will begin with four Bronx schools to begin vaccinating students between the ages of 12 and 17 in their respective schools. The initiative will then expand to other schools across the boroughs.

Mayor de Blasio announced that over 118,000 individuals ages 12 to 17 have already received the vaccine but is confident that by bringing the vaccines directly to students, that number will move even higher.

Introducing Council Member Dinowitz, Mayor de Blasio remarked that Dinowitz really understands these issues from a frontline perspective and how important it is to communicate with parents and students, citing the Council Member’s years of experience as a public school teacher. “He has a passion for education and reaching out to young people and obviously for keeping them healthy and safe,” the Mayor said.

“A year ago today I was on a call like this with my virtual classroom and we were all feeling what everyone in the City was feeling: we were scared. And the mental health toll this took on my students was incalculable, not to mention the physical toll. But here we are today with a vaccine and the City is bustling and schools are opening up. Bringing the vaccine to where it is needed is such a vital component of beating this virus. Families and students trust their teachers, they trust the administration, they trust their school staff. This is an important step in ensuring the safety of our children and families and for reopening schools full-time for in-person learning,” said Dinowitz.

The Bronx continues to have the lowest vaccination rates in the City. It was reported that only 29% of Bronxites are fully vaccinated.

Dinowitz continued, “It is so important that this program is starting in the Bronx where we have seen lower vaccination rates but some of the hardest hit communities in all of New York City. Bringing vaccines to the schools is yet another reminder that schools are more than just places where kids sit in rows of desks, take out their number 2 pencils, and fill in some bubbles on a test. They really are part of our community and part of what brings us together.”

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