Park Slope District Sees High 5-11 Year Old Vaccine Demand: Mayor

PARK SLOPE, BROOKLYN — Park Slope's school district was among those with the highest demand for the COVID-19 vaccine for 5 to 11 year olds as the city rolled out new vaccine sites at its public schools, according to the mayor.

District 15 — which stretches from Carroll Gardens down to Sunset Park — was one of three school districts across the five boroughs where lines of those waiting to get the shot formed on Monday, the first day public schools set up distribution sites for the youngest New Yorkers, Mayor Bill de Blasio said.

The demand could lead to extra vaccination days at the schools where there were more kids ready to get the shot than doses available, he added.

"It's great to see that kind of demand," the mayor said. "If we're seeing more demand that's a good thing — but we've got to catch up with it quickly."

The mayor did not specify which District 15 schools were experiencing the lines. A total of 12 schools across District 15 and Manhattan's districts 1 and 2 were seeing the high demand, he said.

Each of the city's public schools that serve 5 to 11 year olds is slated to have a vaccination site for at least one day over the next week.

On Monday, seven schools in District 15 were on the city's schedule to do so: P.S. 169, P.S. 231, P.S. 172, P.S. 029, J.H.S. 293, P.S. 261 and P.S. 516 Sunset Park Avenues Elementary School.

"If our team sees any school that needs an additional day added, we’ll do that right away," de Blasio said Monday.

Nearly 17,000 children between ages 5 to 11 had gotten their first dose since the vaccine became available to the age group last Thursday, de Blasio said.

The vaccination effort comes after doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine were given the green light last week from CDC advisers and Dr. Rochelle Walensky, who heads the agency.

A schedule of all the public school vaccination sites can be found here.