New Yorkers who have yet to receive their Covid-19 vaccine can now get jabbed under the American Museum of Natural History’s iconic blue whale, which has been adorned with a colossal bandage. The museum began administering the Moderna vaccine to people 18 and up in its Milstein Hall of Ocean Life last week and is offering anyone who receives the shot at the site (plus three friends) complimentary admission.
In a pun-filled press conference to mark the event, the New York City mayor, Bill de Blasio, asked “where the heck” the museum found a big enough Band-Aid for the whale. He then “whale-comed” to the stage the museum's president, Ellen Futter, who said that in years to come the image of people being vaccinated under the beloved whale will “be a snapshot of New York and New Yorkers fighting back, caring for one another, and of a time when things started to turn for the better”.
The museum is offering around 1,000 Moderna vaccines per day on Fridays through Tuesdays. People can either walk in or book their shots in advance through the NYC Covid-19 Vaccine Finder. De Blasio described the vaccination site as “magical”, and a testament to the “incredible New York spirit” that generates solutions that are “smart and creative and vibrant”. He said, “When you come here, you will have a memorable experience–you will have a whale of a time.”