JANUARY 11th RESOURCES AND UPDATES:
 

First, some news about COVID vaccines to start off the week. H/t to MBP Brewer for these great tips.

1. Figure out if you’re eligible here (NYC Dept. of Health site) or here (NYS site-- if it doesn’t work in one browser, try another). The Governor expanded eligibility to several groups (Phase 1b) starting today (1/11). They are:

People age 75+
Public-facing grocery store workers
First responders and support staff
Correctional facility staff
P-12 schools, college, and child care staff (including school bus drivers)
Public transit employees (including airport and airline staff)
People living, working, or volunteering in congregate homeless shelters

The groups already eligible (phase 1a) are:

Health care workers and public health professionals who see patients in person
Home health aides
Nursing home residents and staff
Staff and residents in facilities run by various NYS health agencies (Offices for People With Developmental Disabilities, Mental Health, and Addiction Services)
Medical examiners, coroners, and many funeral home workers
Lab staff working with COVID-19 specimens or those administering vaccines

2. If you are eligible, make an appointment:

Ask your primary care provider if they are administering vaccines,
Use the NYC COVID vaccine finder,
Call the NYC vaccine hotline (877-VAX-4NYC or 877-829-4692), 8 am - 9 pm, for a NYC Health + Hospital vaccine clinic (phone wait times may be long, so be patient), or
Contact providers listed in the NYS eligibility survey.

JANUARY 4th RESOURCES AND UPDATES:
 

Last Saturday, the day after Christmas, the United States reached a grim milestone: 1 in 1,000 Americans have died from COVID-19. (The Census Bureau estimates the U.S. population at around 330,750,000. Saturday afternoon, deaths from COVID-19 reached 331,116, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

DECEMBER 21st RESOURCES AND UPDATES:
 

Hospitalizations could approximately double in one month if the current rate of growth continues. The fall and winter surge could lead to 11,000 people hospitalized with COVID and 3,500 additional fatalities in a month if the current rate continues.

Cuomo to close indoor dining in New York City in another blow to a reeling industry - Politico

As Trenches Fill, Plans for Hart Island COVID-19 Memorial Look to Past and Future - The City

NYC Christmas Tree Vendors Pleasantly Surprised By So Many Early Sales - Gothamist

Another Vote Taken Opposing NY Blood Center Proposal - Tapinto

Controversial UES 'Tower On Stilts' Scrapped, Politician Says - Patch

NY Blood Center: New Building is Critical to Future Operations - Tapinto

Economists urge New York to hike taxes on billionaires - Politico

1st Vaccination in U.S. Is Given in New York, Hard Hit in Outbreak’s First Days - NYT

New York City mayor says people should brace for another possible shutdown - CBS

Does Covid-19 Spread on Buses, Subways? New York Aims to Find Out - WSJ

For City’s Public Meetings, Shift to Virtual Format Has Meant Attendance Boost—& Complications - City Limits

Outdoor Dining Confronts Its Latest Challenge: Snow - NYT

Children Love Snow Days.

DECEMBER 14th RESOURCES AND UPDATES:
 

Sandra Lindsay, a frontline ICU nurse and New Yorker, became the first American to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in a non-trial setting. Sandra received the vaccination at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens.

Parents Plead For Consistency As Some NYC Students Head Back To School. Again. For Now. - Gothamist
https://gothamist.com/news/parents-plead-consistency-some-nyc-students-head-back-school-again-now

NYC Food Delivery Workers Band to Demand Better Treatment.

DECEMBER 7th RESOURCES AND UPDATES:
 

Amid a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, the City advised older adults and at-risk New Yorkers to limit non-essential activities. Older adults and people with underlying health conditions who are at an increased risk of severe COVID-related illness should limit activities outside of the home to essential tasks such as commuting to work or school, medical care, groceries, and pharmacy necessities.

New York City Will Reopen Elementary Schools and Reduce Hybrid Learning - NY Times

New York City to reopen schools for 200,000 students Dec. 7, mayor says - Politico

"Thank God We Have This Support": More New Yorkers Lining Up At City's Food Banks This Year - Gothamist

FDNY first responders among first to receive emergency COVID vaccine - Daily News

NYC Blows Past Deadline To Certify General Election Results As Lawmakers Push Reforms - Gothamist

De Blasio Administration Millions Behind on COVID Mask and Glove Stockpile Goals - The City

NYC’s congestion pricing program may be delayed by two years, MTA says - NY Daily News

Subway Slowdown: Sleek New Train Cars Running Late in Pandemic - The City

Cuomo Orders Hospitals To Make Emergency Preparations, Warns NY Could PAUSE Again - Gothamist

NYC middle and high schools won’t offer in-person learning until 2021 at the earliest - Chalkbeat

Food Delivery Apps Are Booming.

NOVEMBER 30th RESOURCES AND UPDATES:
 

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced yesterday (11/29) that K-5 schools and 3-K and pre-K programs will reopen next Monday, 12/7. All District 75 special education grades will reopen Thursday, 12/10. (The Mayor said today that middle and high school students are unlikely to return before January.

Top mayoral candidate admonishes new voting system amid efforts to delay it - Politico

Digital Divide: NYC Department Of Education Says More Devices For Students Won’t Arrive For At Least Another Month - CBS NY

NYC residents flock to COVID-19 test sites ahead of iffy holiday travel - NY Post

The MTA’s $500 million nightly cleaning and shutdown isn’t worth it, experts say - NY Focus

City budget update better than hoped, though gaping deficit looms next year - Politico

NYC’s law legalizing e-scooters officially goes into effect on Monday - NY Post

New York City’s first Black mayor, David Dinkins, dies at 93 - AP

Unmasked: NYC Hospitals Lag on COVID PPE Stockpile Requirement as Virus Surges - The City

‘Vision Zero’ Leader Is the Latest to Leave New York Mayor’s Team - NY Times

De Blasio Lays Out Phased Strategy To Reopen Schools, Prioritizing Students With Disabilities - Gothamist

Stewart-Cousins claims supermajority for Democrats in state Senate - Politico

NYPD dismisses dozens of e-bike tickets after legalization - NY Post

What the M.T.A.’s ‘Doomsday’ Cuts Would Actually Look Like - NY Times

City launches $35M loan program for mom-and-pop shops hit by pandemic - Crain's

First Tenant Evicted in NYC since the Pandemic Started.