José Antonio Peguero spends 8 hours a day driving this taxi to earn a living.
And despite the fact that he uses a mask and hand sanitizer, because of the short distance and the confinement in the vehicle he runs the risk of catching the virus.
However, Peguero, 47, has yet to get vaccinated.
“There are many risks, because you really don’t know who has it and who doesn’t, but you take care of yourself,” said Peguero.
New York Secretary of State Rossana Rosado says hard work is being done to increase the supply of the vaccine from the federal government to reach groups of workers like taxi drivers.
“Remember that there is a shortage in terms of the number of vaccines that are arriving in New York. The governor is dedicated to that, to increasing the number of vaccines arriving in New York, ”said Rosado.
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Among the measures that the state has implemented is to continue opening vaccination centers like the Armory in Washington Heights, where minority communities will have access to the vaccine … as long as they get an appointment.
“We are all fighting for all groups, we are talking about setting priorities, we are following the priorities of the CDC. It does not mean that one person is more important than another, it is that obviously people over 65 are the vulnerable, we are going to protect them first, “added Rosado.
At the Armory about 600 people could get vaccinated every day. The place has already been set up with areas for registration, vaccination and a waiting room to monitor immunized people for possible allergic reactions.
But it will take weeks before other essential workers are eligible to get vaccinated. Therefore, elected officials such as Adriano Espaillat have asked that the state allow taxi drivers like José Antonio to receive the vaccine.
“It is important because we have been hit by the pandemic, we have high levels of diabetes and high pressure in the community,” Espaillat said.
If approved, one of the ideas is to open a center where drivers do not have to get out of the car to receive immunization.
And José Antonio is looking forward to that moment …
“Please the authorities, Mr. Cuomo, Mayor de Blasio, please attend to us.”
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