Courtesy Photo | New York Air National Guard Lt. Col. John Reynolds, a Registered Nurse assigned to the...... read more read more
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NEW YORK – Just three months into its operation, the New York National Guard helped provide 10,367 vaccinations in a single day at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in Manhattan April 11, 2021.
Then the team topped their achievement with 10,463 on April 12.
The mass vaccination site opened January 13 in the expansive convention center, building capacity for vaccinating hundreds of New Yorkers every hour.
And as vaccine supply increased, so did their numbers.
The site, led by the National Guard as the incident command post in support of the New York State Department of Health, surpassed 419,000 vaccinations since opening.
“It’s all about the process flow,” said Army National Guard Maj. Michael Thompson from the command post staff. “It’s a team effort across the board. After doing this for over three months we have refined the process, which enabled us to get to the point where we can complete 10,000 vaccinations per day.”
The results of the work at Javits and other vaccination sites statewide mean that as of April 15, more than 50 percent of New Yorkers 18 years of age and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, according to a statement by New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo.
The efforts of the interagency team leading the vaccination effort, both National Guard and civilian, provides the foundation for the success of the site, said Dr. Douglas G. Fish from the New York State Department of Health and the Deputy Incident Commander at Joint Task Force Javits.
“The Javits Center continues to beat its own records and yesterday (April 12) doing over 10,000 vaccinations during a ten and a half hour period was proof of the collaboration, teamwork and the effort required between the military, the Javits Center and New York State Department of Health teams to be able to pull off a feat of that size with relative ease and to have New Yorkers feel comfortable in that setting,” Fish said.
“To continue to return, day after day, to be vaccinated is a tribute to all.”
The capacity for the high volume of care was always there, said Amy Gaiser, a data entry staff contractor who assists registered guests arriving for their vaccine appointment.
What was required was the additional supply of vaccines and the flow of appointments, starting with the early April scheduling of 24-hour appointments when vaccine supplies increased with the arrival of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
“In the early days, we were very proud of doing 12,000 vaccinations in a 24-hour period. But we streamlined the process and the teams are working very well,” Gaiser said.
The volume increase and efficiency was noticed by the public, Gaiser said, and speaks to the high morale of the military and civilian staff.
“As our staff speak to the public, they are receiving many compliments about the process,” she said.
“The culture of this place is a culture of kindness,” said Dr. Daniel
Schwartz, from the state Office of Temporary Disability, a Medical Review Consultant assisting guests on the Javits vaccination floor.
Larissa Amado, a Registered Nurse administering vaccines at Javits, agrees in the culture of the staff as it marks the 10,000 milestone.
“It feels great to be making a difference in this world,” Amado said, “and I suggest that everyone get vaccinated.”
Javits, as a mass vaccination site, has been part of the state effort to reach as many New Yorkers with COVID-19 vaccines as possible.
The state saw more than one million first doses administered in the week of April 12, with 1,068,455 initial doses and 658,770 second doses. The availability of vaccines for the week’s 1,727,225 doses saw New York State achieved more than 13.5 million doses since beginning its efforts in January.
“It is gratifying to see how far we have come from when we began this mission in January to now vaccinating over 10,000 people in just over 10 hours time and surpassing 400,000 New Yorkers vaccinated at Javits,” said Army National Guard Col. Michael Bice, the Javits task force Incident Commander. “It is a true testament to the dedication and teamwork of Joint Task Force Javits.”
The Javits Vaccination Site operates daily, by appointment for New York residents, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Story by Warrant Officer Edward Shevlin, New York Guard.
| Date Taken: | 04.13.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 04.16.2021 14:47 |
| Story ID: | 394076 |
| Location: | MANHATTAN, NY, US |
| Web Views: | 309 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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