Rumors on social media about the COVID-19 vaccines that will expire at the Brooklyn Army terminal caused a frenzy of people rushing to the site in hopes of getting a shot Thursday evening, before the city presented itself with a dose of reality.
Images and messages shared on Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp meant the Sunset Park vaccination site had “more than 410 doses” that were available to “anyone in the community over the age of 18.”
The subsequent rush led the City Council to send workers there to disperse the crowd, said a spokesman for Mayor Bill de Blasio.
“There is NO vaccine available for people without an appointment. It was a misinformation and the notification did not come from the governor of New York “, said the press secretary Bill Neidhardt tweeted.
“We’re sending people to the Brooklyn Army terminal to ask the queues to come home if they don’t have an appointment.”
When several locals answered that one line it had ready for walks, Neidhart admitted “Occasionally there are vials with an extra dose or someone doesn’t show up at the appointment, so places are ready to form lines in case that happens.”
Video clips of the scene posted to Twitter around five-thirty in the afternoon there is a long line of people queuing on the sidewalks and police walking between cars filling the streets.
Shortly after 6 p.m., The Post found bumper traffic for eight blocks in either direction of the terminal and hundreds of people skirting Second Avenue.
Alexandra Frankel, 27, said she had been there “since 4:37 pm … and someone who had something to do with the place, came in and said it was very reasonable for us to be fucked.”
At one point, Frankel said, several cops showed up and “said everyone should leave.”
Frankel said she stopped and a security guard let ten people, including her, through a door, just to get the cops to push them all.
“It’s frustrating because I was waiting two hours online and I don’t even know if that’s legitimate,” he said.
Brooklyn writer Jessica Valenti also tweeted around 5:10 p.m. that she was “in line with about 500 people lol.”
“As expected, they’re over, but it’s worth a try!” he added about 25 minutes later.
Currently, only those 65 years of age or older, health care workers, teachers, police officers, and other front-line workers are eligible to be shot in New York State.