New York State Announces Expanded COVID-19 Vaccine Eligibility

March 09, 2021   02:45 p.m.
    Press Release from Governor Cuomo's Office:

    Governor Cuomo Announces New Yorkers 60 Years of Age and
    Older and Additional Public Facing Essential Workers Will Be Eligible
    to Receive COVID-19 Vaccine

    New Yorkers 60 Years of Age and Older Can Be Vaccinated Beginning
    March 10

    Government Employees, Nonprofit Workers, and Essential Building
    Service Workers Are Eligible for COVID-19 Vaccine Beginning March 17

    Vaccine Distribution Eligibility Expanded; All Providers Except Pharmacies
    Can Now Vaccinate Any Eligible New Yorker Starting March 17;
    Pharmacies Can Vaccinate 60-plus and Teachers Per Federal Guidance
    Starting March 10

    New Yorkers Can Make Appointments at State-Run Vaccination Sites by
    Utilizing New York's 'Am I Eligible' Tool or Calling 1-833-NYS-4-VAX

    Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced a new expansion of COVID-
    19 vaccine eligibility in New York. Beginning March 10, all New Yorkers 60
    years of age and older will be eligible to receive the vaccine, while public
    facing essential workers from governmental and nonprofit entities will be
    eligible beginning March 17. This expansion also includes public-facing
    essential building services workers.

    Additionally, the Governor announced that with increased supply of the
    vaccine, restrictions concerning which segments of the eligible population
    specific providers can vaccinate will be relaxed to align with the expanded
    eligibility on March 17. Previously, certain types of providers were directed
    to focus their vaccination efforts on specific populations to ensure equitable
    vaccine distribution. For example, hospitals vaccinated health care workers,
    local health departments vaccinated essential workers and pharmacies
    vaccinated New Yorkers 65 years of age and older. Now, providers will be
    able to vaccinate any eligible New Yorker, with the exception of pharmacies,
    which will focus on individuals over the age of 60 and teachers, in line with
    federal policy. Pharmacies may begin vaccinating individuals over the age
    of 60 and teachers on March 10. As part of this effort, providers are being
    encouraged to vaccinate those New Yorkers most at risk, such as
    individuals 60 years of age and older and people with comorbidities and
    underlying health conditions.

    "New York is marching forward expanding access to the COVID-19 vaccine,
    addressing underserved communities and getting shots in arms as we turn
    the tide in the fight against this virus," Governor Cuomo said. "Supply is
    steadily increasing and we're opening new vaccination sites and expanding
    eligibility to match it. New Yorkers over 60 years old and those who serve
    their fellow New Yorkers in the public sector are more vulnerable to COVID-
    19, and we're addressing that vulnerability by providing access to the
    vaccine. The fight against the COVID beast continues on all fronts, and
    we're pushing the infection rate down while getting our vaccinations up."

    Under this new expansion of eligibility, the following essential workers will
    now be eligible to begin receiving the COVID-19 vaccine on March 17:

  • Public-facing government and public employees
  • Not-for-profit workers who provide public-facing services to New
    Yorkers in need
  • Essential in-person public-facing building service workers

    This includes workers such as public works employees, social service and
    child service caseworkers, government inspectors, sanitation workers, DMV
    workers, County Clerks, building service workers and election workers - the
    everyday heroes who have been showing up day in and day out throughout
    this pandemic.

    New York's vast distribution network and large population of eligible
    individuals still far exceed the supply coming from the federal government.
    Due to this limited supply, New Yorkers are encouraged to remain patient
    and are advised not to show up at vaccination sites without an appointment.

    Eligible New Yorkers will be able to schedule appointments at state
    vaccination sites by utilizing New York's 'Am I Eligible' website or by calling
    the state's COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline at 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-
    4829).

    New York is maintaining and expanding a vast vaccine distribution network.
    On March 8, Governor Cuomo announced that as the federal vaccine
    supply continues to increase, New York will establish 10 additional state-run
    mass vaccination sites in the New York City, Long Island, Hudson Valley,
    Capital, Southern Tier, Mohawk Valley and Western New York regions to
    further grow New York's vast distribution network. The sites remain in
    development and are expected to launch in the coming weeks. Final details,
    including appointment scheduling information and hours of operation will be
    released in the coming days.  

    Not only has New York already established 13 other state-run mass
    vaccination sites, but in order to meet the Governor's mandate to ensure the
    fair and equitable distribution of the vaccine, numerous other sites have
    been established to ensure those New Yorkers living in underserved
    communities have direct access to the vaccine. This includes six joint state-
    FEMA community-based vaccination sites, the Yankee Stadium mass
    vaccination site, and more than 120 community-based pop-up sites in public
    housing developments, churches and community centers.
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