BROOKLYN – New Yorkers rushed to the Brooklyn Army Terminal on Thursday night after a false rumor circulated on social media and WhatsApp about an excess of doses of the coronavirus vaccine.
Doses were only available to people with commitments, said Mayor Bill Neidhardt’s spokesman. The city sent people to the Brooklyn Army Terminal to ask noncommittal people to leave.
“There is NO vaccine available for people without consultation,” he tweeted. “It was incorrect information and the notification did not come from the New York government. We are sending people to the Brooklyn Army Terminal to ask people in line to come home if they don’t have an appointment.”
The video showed a long line and many waiting in the cars.
After news of more than 400 surplus vaccines began to spread in Brooklyn – transmitted by WhatsApp messages and screenshots – this is what * part * of the scene looks like now pic.twitter.com/cndF7r5zzc
– Stephen Lurie (@luriethereal) January 14, 2021
The social media post said there were more than 410 doses that needed to be distributed in the next few hours. Councilman Justin Brannan expressed frustration with the position.
“You may have seen this fake image. As a result, there is now a line of people outside Brooklyn Army Terminal that will not be vaccinated,” he tweeted. “I know we are all desperate to get vaccinated, but sharing things like this does more harm than good and creates confusion.”