Fauci encourages MTA workers to get COVID vaccine in video

As the number of positive COVID-19 cases continues to rise, Brooklyn native Dr. Anthony Fauci filmed a video encouraging MTA employees to get the vaccine when available in order for them to stay safe during the pandemic.

Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and chief medical adviser to President Joe Biden, talked about his commute during his younger years in Brooklyn.

“I took the subway every day to get from my home in Brooklyn to and from Regis High School in Manhattan,” he said. “I would take either the BMT, what was then called the West End line (the now D train), when I lived in Bensonhurst, or what was then called the Sea Beach line (now the N train) when I moved to Dyker Heights.”

Fauci spoke directly to MTA frontline employees, explaining how safe the vaccines have proven to be.

“This pandemic has taken so much from us, and vaccination is the best way for us to fight back and help restore our lives,” he said. “The U.S. authorized coronavirus vaccines, one made by Pfizer, the other by Moderna, are safe and they’re free, and they’re about 95 percent effective at preventing adults of all ages from getting sick. The sooner you get vaccinated, the sooner we can get our lives back and our country back on track.”

However, securing an appointment won’t be easy in the coming days.

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced city postponed more than 22,000 appointments this week due to vaccine shortages.