The US vaccination campaign is in full swing. There is a touch of normalcy in the spring air – and New York is about to make a comeback.
Before the pandemic, people flocked to the Javits Convention Center on the west side of Manhattan for auto shows or concerts. Now, a year after the largest US city threatened to break apart from the corona outbreak, New Yorkers are returning to the huge exhibition hall: for vaccination. Six snakes form on this spring day, the sky is blue, the atmosphere is exuberant, many take selfies with their mobile phones. Soldiers ensure that everything runs smoothly, and the Pfizer vaccine is administered at 163 vaccination stations. “Today we’re vaccinating 7931 New Yorkers here,” read a yellow-blue sign.
It is an extremely emotional moment for many residents of the metropolis. At least 20 percent of New Yorkers contracted Corona in the past year, and more than 30,000 have lost their lives. The fact that the Javits Convention Center of all places now serves as one of the largest vaccination centers is also symbolic. In April 2020, as the city’s hospitals were bursting at the seams, authorities turned the building complex on the Hudson River into a giant intensive care unit with ventilators. The New Yorkers still remember the desperation. Hope is slowly returning.
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