Thousands More Vaccine Appointments Open in NYC for J&J Pilot; Hacks for Getting in Line

If you had trouble getting an appointment last week, you may find success in coming days.

The snail's pace national COVID-19 vaccine rollout has left many hard-hit New York City area residents feeling discouraged, but tens of thousands of the newly-approved Johnson & Johnson vaccines are set to hit various state-run vaccination sites as soon as today, opening thousands of new appointments across the area. Hundreds of new NYC appointments have opened in the last hour already.

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The jointly run state-city Bronx residents mass vaccination site at Yankee stadium will be offering the newest one-shot vaccine 24/7, whereas Manhattan's Javits Center will be beefing up their overnight appointment availability to scale up to meet the influx of Johnson & Johnson vaccines in addition to the already in-use Pfizer and Modern offerings. Demand is higher than ever as consumer confidence in vaccination grows, so getting those appointments may still prove to be tricky.

Dr. Dyan Hes, Gramercy Pediatrics

"The morning I got the appointment, I was still in bed, scrolling, and saw an appointment open up for two hours later at a high school in Brooklyn," details Aly Walansky, a Brooklyn-based food and travel writer who was constantly hitting the refresh button on her browser. "I jumped on it and ran.I already had a folder with a doctor's note and all that other jazz at the ready. Sort of like a vaccine 'go' bag," she says, stressing the importance of being flexible enough to take appointments at any available time or location in the city -- especially if you have pre-existing conditions that make you eligible, like she does. "My appointment was at 11:30 in the morning. I got there around 11, and I left a little before one in the afternoon. The line was about a city block long, outdoors, and well distanced."

Aside from having an always-ready mentality and being prepared to block off a couple hours of time for waiting in line, getting the vaccine itself, and honoring the mandatory post-vaccine observation time (which most sites indicate as about 20 minutes), it's important to note that you still must be eligible to get the vaccine under current state guidelines. You can find those at the New York 'Am I Eligible' website.

Dr. Dyan Hes

Of the roughly 165,000 Johnson & Johnson vaccines newly-available to the state of New York, around 70,000 of them will be allocated to New York City's five boroughs. Those single-shot vaccine appointments are expected to fill up quickly, and the next batch of Johnson & Johnson vaccines isn't scheduled to hit New York state-run facilities for another 10 days or so, pending availability and permitting weather conditions. Overall supply and availability is expected to scale up significantly by the end of March, though. The city's mayor is hoping the Johnson & Johnson shots, which recently partnered with Merck to ramp up production, are supposed to be allocated mostly to homebound seniors and those with pressing health conditions in the short term to hopefully lessen the complications of leaving home for a second shot.

Photo by Hakan Nural on Unsplash

Walansky, a lifelong Brooklynite, was pleasantly surprised by her vaccine experience. "There were only about a half dozen people ahead of me once I was inside the building," she says. "A police officer was there to keep order, but everyone was very friendly and upbeat, and stayed distanced. Hand sanitizer was offered to everyone who needed it, and by the time it was my turn a medical professional held up a number to direct me to their table. It reminded me of a trip to Trader Joe's."

If you're looking to get the first available appointment, it's important to not be choosy about which manufacturer's shot(s) you're getting. "I got the Moderna shot," she says, "But honestly when I booked my appointment that morning, I didn't even bother to research what kind the location was offering. I just took it. To me, the vaccine you can get is the best one to take, because you can actually get it."

Have your own COVID-19 vaccine tips or tricks to share? Leave them in the comments section below to help your community have access.