The Johnson & Johnson Vaccine Arrives in New York |
Weather: Sunny, but colder and still blustery, with a high in the mid-30s. Cloudy Saturday and sunny Sunday, also in the mid-30s but less windy. |
Alternate-side parking: In effect until March 28 (Passover). |
| Mark Lennihan/Associated Press |
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Mayor Bill de Blasio's goal of fully vaccinating 5 million New Yorkers by June may be in reach. The city has administered over 2 million doses, and a newly approved vaccine may provide a boost. |
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine, which Mr. de Blasio said he plans to get when it's time for his shot, arrived in New York City on Thursday. |
The Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires only one dose to be effective and does not need to be stored in extremely cold temperatures. (The vaccines from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech require two doses and must be stored at extremely cold temperatures.) |
"This is going to revolutionize our approach to getting people vaccinated," the mayor said at a news conference. |
Here's what you need to know: |
Who will get the Johnson & Johnson vaccine in New York City? |
The city is prioritizing homebound seniors to receive the one-dose vaccine first, the mayor said. |
The New York Fire Department has partnered with the Department for the Aging to vaccinate seniors who cannot leave their homes to go to appointments, officials said. Vaccinations began Thursday at Co-op City in the Bronx and will begin today at Brighton Beach in Brooklyn. |
Will this vaccine be available at state-run sites? |
Yes. Now that New York State has received its first batch of Johnson & Johnson doses, three state-run mass vaccination sites have begun administering shots throughout the night, in addition to the daytime hours they were already open, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said. |
The sites are Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, Javits Center in Manhattan and the New York State Fairgrounds in Syracuse, N.Y. |
New York residents can make appointments for vaccinations at the Javits Center by visiting this state website or by calling the state hotline at 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829). Appointments at Yankee Stadium can be made on the SOMOS vaccination website or by calling 1-833-SOMOS-NY (1-833-766-6769). |
Is it less effective than the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines? |
In terms of preventing severe illness and death, no. |
Some Americans have been skeptical of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine because the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines showed a slightly higher efficacy rate in clinical trials. However, the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is just as effective in providing protection against severe illness. |
"We really want to steer away from this notion that getting one brand of vaccine is going to be demonstrably different than getting another brand of vaccine," Dr. Jay Varma, the mayor's senior adviser for public health, said on Wednesday. |
A video shows a police officer continued to question a Brooklyn teenager after the boy refused to waive his Miranda rights. [The City] |
A TikTok user noticed a draft inside her New York City apartment and discovered a hidden room. [Gothamist] |
What we're watching: The Times's national political reporter Matt Flegenheimer and contributing writer Eleanor Randolph discuss the divisions in the Republican and Democratic parties and Gov. Cuomo's sexual harassment scandal, and mayoral candidate Andrew Yang discusses his agenda on "The New York Times Close Up With Sam Roberts." The show airs on Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 1:30 p.m. and Sunday at 12:30 p.m. [CUNY TV] |
And finally: Your virtual social weekend |
The Times's Melissa Guerrero writes: |
Although many performance spaces, museums and community centers are closed, people are finding creative ways to connect through virtual events and programs. Here are suggestions for maintaining a New York social life this weekend while keeping a safe distance from other people. |
'Bernarda's Daughters: Mo(u)rning Call' |
On Friday at 7 p.m., listen to a digital EP, with musical guest appearances, about the world of "Bernarda's Daughters," a play that explores private and public grief. |
Webinar: The history of shoes |
Learn about the history of footwear and how shoes have evolved through the ages on Friday at 7 p.m. Participants will hear about the impact of footwear on feminism, learn about the function and significance of shoes in other cultures, and more. |
Conversation: 'Your Hometown' |
On Sunday at 2 p.m., join the historian and "Your Hometown" host Kevin Burke in conversation with the playwright Lynn Nottage about her experience growing up in Brooklyn in the 1960s and 1970s. |
Register on the event page. Free, but donations are welcome. |
It's Friday — learn something new. |
Metropolitan Diary: Locked out |
Last spring, I locked myself out of my apartment on the terrace. I had left my phone in the bedroom cycling through Janet Jackson's "Control" before stepping outside. It was 2 p.m. on a weekday. I had my keys with me, but none of them fit the lock on the terrace door. |
I told myself not to panic and began to shout. |
"Hello? Can anyone hear me?" |
Minutes passed. Then, I heard a woman's voice. |
Relieved, I shouted my predicament. The woman offered to call my landlord. |
"I don't know his number," I replied. |
"Well, what do you want me to do?" |
"Can I throw you my keys and you go into my building from the street and let me in?" |
It seemed nuts, but the response surprised me. |
"Yeah, all right, gimme a sec." |
I threw my keys over the railing, calculated how long it should take someone to round the block and began counting out Mississippis. I had gotten to 300 when the terrace door swung open and a boy leapt through it. |
"I'm RJ" he said. "Your hero!" |
A young woman whom I took to be his sister appeared behind him, and I began to gush thank-yous. |
"Why were you out there?" she asked after we had stepped back inside. |
I lifted a philodendron off the ground. |
"I was repotting this," I said. "Would you like it?" |
She took the plant in one hand, grabbed RJ's hand with the other and left. |
A few days later, my roommate called me into his room. |
"Look," he said, gesturing toward the window. |
There, on an otherwise empty windowsill on the adjacent building, was my plant. |
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