The News 12 crew was at the Brooklyn Public Library mobile vaccination site Thursday to discuss the importance of getting your COVID-19 vaccine shot.

COVID-19 cases are on the rise in 46 states, with the average new daily infections up 47% around the country over the past week.

Doctors say the majority of those hospitalized are people who are younger and experiencing more severe symptoms – and generally those who are unvaccinated.

The Bronx has some of the lowest vaccination rates in the city, with 48% of people getting at least one dose and 44% of people fully vaccinated.

In Brooklyn, 51% of people have gotten at least one dose, with 46% fully vaccinated.

Manhattan has some of the highest vaccination rates, with 70% of people getting at least one dose and 65% of people fully vaccinated.

Dr. Judith Flores with the NYC Test & Trace Corps says the city is now targeting people who waited to see how other people handled the vaccine before getting the shot on their own.

"We are at the point where we can sort of get rid of this in our community. We can move on, get our kids back to school," she says. "But we are at a critical point where if we don't get enough people vaccinated, we give this virus time to change, mutate, become more infectious, and possibly more deadly."

The vaccination sites are made to make the process as simple as possible. Once a person registers at the desk stationed near the mobile vaccine buses, they can go inside the bus to get their shot from a doctor, followed by a short observation period.

The mobile vaccination site outside of the Brooklyn Public Library will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. through the rest of the week.

A new study from Yale University shows that the city's vaccine campaign has saved more than 8,300 lives and averted more than 44,000 hospitalizations and 250,000 COVID-19 cases. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the results with Dr. Alison Galvani from the Yale School of Public Health yesterday.

"This success is particularly noteworthy given the emergence of more transmissible variants, including the delta variant," Dr. Galvani says. "Our study underscores that the swift vaccine rollout in New York City has played a pivotal role in reducing the COVID-19 burden and in curbing surges for more transmissible emerging variants."