Yanks give milestone 100,000th COVID shot

Yanks give milestone 100,000th COVID shot

November 18th, 2021

Yankee Stadium first opened its gates to those seeking COVID-19 vaccinations in February, and on Wednesday, the facility saw its 100,000th shot administered.

The recipient of the shot, a booster given on the Yankee Stadium field, was Ana Figueroa, a home health aide who is originally from the Dominican Republic and has been a resident of the Bronx for 28 years. Ms. Figueroa also received her initial shot at Yankee Stadium this March.

“It’s a big number, and it’s an important number,” said Yankees general manager Brian Cashman, who was on hand to mark the occasion. “The more, the better. Hopefully we can keep soaring high on that. Yankee Stadium has been a proud spot to host the vaccinations for quite some time now. To hit 100,000 -- onward and upward.”

Yankees senior vice president of corporate/community relations Brian Smith presented Figueroa with a Yankees jacket, Yankees caps for her family and four tickets to the team’s April 7, 2022, Opening Day game against the Red Sox.

From left: Yankees GM Brian Cashman, Ana Figueroa and Yankees senior vice president of corporate/community relations Brian Smith

“It’s an amazing feeling, but you can’t get there without the commitment and establishing a network -- not only in-house, but throughout our community,” Smith said. “From the moment we were approached by the state and the city, we didn’t just want to host a vaccination site. We wanted to provide access to our neighbors in the surrounding community.”

Dr. Juan Tapia of SOMOS Community Care administered the booster shot. In an unexpected coincidence, Dr. Tapia had been the physician for Ms. Figueroa’s fraternal twin sons (now 23) when they were ages 5-12.

“I’m very happy and fortunate,” Figueroa said through a translator. “It’s a great day for me.”

The Yankee Stadium Vaccination Site began operation on Feb. 5, 2021, and was established through a partnership between New York State, New York City, the New York Yankees, SOMOS Community Care and the New York National Guard. The 100,000 shots to date include both initial shots and boosters.

Information regarding the Yankee Stadium site, including hours of operation, may be found at www.yankees.com/vaccinate.