By Eric Schoen
Is it me or is something wrong with this picture? As of Sunday, ten million New Yorkers will be fighting to obtain one of the 300,000 Covid-19 vaccinations that are available every week state wide. The number was 7 million before the Governor announced 3 million additional people with serious health issues would be eligible for signing up for the vaccine as of Sunday.
People are on pins and needles to begin with. And now we add 3 million people to the mix. Have you tried going on the New York State website to get a vaccine. Either its broken as I file this column or someone is playing a game.
Sites from Westchester County Center up to Potsdam were listed with appointments available if you met eligibility criteria. This was at 9:30 p.m. Monday night and 8:30 a.m. Tuesday the morning I file my column. But when you attempted to book an appointment at Westchester County Center, Jones Beach, Aqueduct Racetrack, the Javits Center, Stony Brook Albany even our old friend Potsdam where people have toilet bowl planters on their front yards growing plants you got bubkis. That’s the Yiddish word for nothing.
Popup sites like the one at the Nodine Hill Community Center in Yonkers are being run by organizations we never heard of, don’t know how to contact and their appointments are filled up. I went to visit the site at Nodine Hill at 7 p.m. last Friday night to see what was going on. There was one of these big recreational vehicles with its lights on and a security guard in a pickup up truck in the parking lot. There was a man in the pickup truck who told me the site was busy all morning and a few people there in the late afternoon.
I was trying to arrange a shot for a relative and learned the next day that all the slots were filled up at the Nodine Hill pop-up. So much for that. But the mystery still lingers as to how the people scheduled for the Covid shot got on the list. Where were these people coming from? I thought the purpose of the popup locations was to serve the community were they are located?
We have Dr. Anthony Fauci all over television and radio saying that the way to stop the virus and the spread is to get vaccinated which we should do as quickly as possible. The same message coming from President Biden and Governor Cuomo. Have they tried to log on to the states website to schedule an appointment?
Friends, I really think we need to take a pause in this vaccine debacle. The President of the United States has got to muster every available company and resource in this country to produce Covid-19 vaccinations. Forget about repealing all the lunacy from the Trump administration for 100 days. Get the scientists, laboratories and logistics people together and come up with a plan for the prompt, efficient and effective programming for combating this virus and getting everyone inoculated as quickly as possible.
Otherwise it won’t be until maybe the end of the year before we get everyone inoculated and finally get this virus under control. How many more lives are we going to have to lose before this happens. Why aren’t the powers that be using all the resources at their disposal to solve this problem?
Let’s not second guess whether the United States procured enough vaccinations when they were available on the market. Or if the dam virus came from Wuhan, China via person to person contact or animal to animal to person contact. We’ve got to expend all of our varied resources to stop the spread of this virus and get people back to work and back to school and the economy back on track.
Mary Wilson, a member of the Supremes died earlier this week. One of the groups signature songs was, ‘Stop in the Name of Love.’ Let’s stop what we are doing in the name of love and work collectively to eradicate this virus that has caused so much death, tragedy and destruction in our country.
Now for the rest of the story:
What was your favorite Super Bowl commercial? Did you even watch the Super Bowl? It’s really no fun without a party and hopefully to stop a super spread of coronavirus you didn’t have or attend one this year. I can’t wait until next year when my friend Renee puts out her lavish spread.
It’s time for candidates for office in New York State to go door to door seeking your signature to get on the ballot. Last year, a Statewide election year the Governor cut the number of signatures needed to get on the ballot. This year a local election year as of date he has not. Talk about a super spreader Governor. The time is now to deal with it before more people get sick or die.
Travel companies are offering $99 trips to China including hotels and sightseeing (air fare not included) starting a year from now. Are you willing, even if it is refundable to take the gamble?
Loony Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has been stripped by Congress of all her Committee assignments. Isn’t it nice to see Congress do something right and promptly!
Oy, another Trump impeachment trial begins this week. Should he be impeached? After stirring up the crowd of course. But I wish Congress would put this trial off to another time and focus on dealing with the coronavirus and relief for the American People.
I’m tired of politicians and other so called ‘leaders’ saying that there is not enough information about the coronavirus in minority communities for individuals to make decisions to get vaccinated. They are putting down a segment of the population who is educated and fully understands the pandemic we are going through. I know some of you out there are not going to be happy with what I said. But when I talk to my African American and Hispanic friends about the virus they are very well aware of what is going on. The fear is in all communities, made even worse by a vaccination distribution system that is broke. Stop putting down members of minority communities and improve the infrastructure from signing up for the vaccine to getting it in people’s arms.
How terrible were the pictures from last Sunday of people black, white, Hispanic, Asian and I’m sure I missed other groups waiting in the snow at the Westchester County Center in long lines for vaccinations. There was no better way to handle it then to have people freezing out in the cold?
I outdoor dined in New York City Saturday night. It wasn’t that cold, and the $1000’s of dollars in protection the restaurant owner put up with heaters kept us, dressed in winter jackets comfortably warm for the 45 minutes we spent enjoying each other’s company!
Tuesday, February 9th was National Pizza Day. Did you know pizza started in the United States, not Italy. Everyone knows Yonkers has the best pizza!
A friend walked into a deli in NJ and the 7 guys behind the counter were maskless. This is probably the case in 1% of 1% of delis in America. Say something to management. Or leave!
Happy Valentine’s Day to all the lovers and all you special people out there!
Reach Eric Schoen at thistooisyonkers@aol.com. Follow him on Twitter @ericyonkers. Listen to Eric Schoen and Dan Murphy on the Westchester Rising Radio Show Thursday’s from 10-11 a.m. On WVOX 1460 AM, go to WVOX.com and click the arrow to listen to the live stream or download the WVOX app from the App Store free of charge.
