On Monday, New York dramatically expanded the group of people eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
Here is a breakdown of the people who can get it, how to register, where to get the jab – and the state program for those who receive further inoculation.
Who is eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in NY?
New Yorkers now eligible to receive the two-dose coronavirus vaccine are those designated in the state’s Phase 1A and 1B categories.
Those eligible for Phase 1A include: hospital and healthcare workers, residents and nursing staff, EMS workers, coroners, medical examiners, emergency care providers, people administering COVID-19 vaccines, staff who are in direct contact with patients, doctors, nurses, first-line outpatient / outpatient staff, dentists and orthodontists and their staff, psychiatrists and psychologists and their staff, physiotherapists and their staff, optometrists and their staff, pharmacists, home care workers and workers of hospice.
Since Monday, eligibility has been extended to those in phase 1B.
This category includes: persons aged 75 and over, first responders and support staff for first aid agencies, correctional staff, public transport workers, public safety workers, teachers and other school staff, including bus drivers, childcare providers, in-person instructors in person, public workers, people living in a homeless shelter where sleeping, bathing or eating should be shared with others who are not part of their household ; and the people who work in these shelters.
The state has a complete breakdown of the phases.
How to sign up for a COVID-19 vaccine meeting in New York City
Vaccine schedules must be made in advance.
New Yorkers can check if they are eligible to receive the vaccine through this state website.
Eligible New York City residents can make an appointment to be inoculated at more than 125 public and private sites in the five neighborhoods through the city’s Department of Health website and the NYC Health + Hospitals website.
Both websites ask users to click on a button that takes them to a COVID-19 vaccine page run by the city. Users are then asked to enter their address or zip code to find a vaccine provider near them.
Users will then be instructed to schedule an appointment from a public or private provider.
The city also launched a phone number, 877-VAX-4NYC or 877-829-4692, to book an appointment with the vaccine.
A pre-recorded message encourages callers who are able to make an online appointment to do so using the “vaccine identifier” site. Otherwise, an agent can schedule you to make an appointment at a vaccination site in the city, the message says.
Starting at 4:00 p.m. on January 11, the New York State COVID-19 hotline will also open for scheduling immunization schedules for eligible New Yorkers at 1-833-NYS-4-VAX.
Where can you get COVID-19 vaccine in NY?
New Yorkers can find their nearest vaccination site through the city’s Vaccine Finder website.
The city currently has two 24/7 mass vaccination centers at the Brooklyn Army Terminal in Sunset Park and the Bathgate Industrial Park in Morrisiana, Bronx.
Hubs are also open at 125 Worth St. in Lower Manhattan on Tuesday, Health + Hospitals Vanderbilt on Staten Island on Wednesday. Eventually, there will be sites in all five neighborhoods, the mayor promised.
The state also has a website that displays the locations of vaccines in other parts of New York.
Do you have to pay for the COVID-19 vaccine?
Not. The vaccine is free.
What is it program for the rest of the COVID-19 distribution in NY?
According to the city’s Department of Health, the next group to be eligible for the vaccine, 1C, will include people between the ages of 65 and 74, those with certain underlying health conditions and all other essential workers.
The city is currently saying that the group will probably be eligible from March to April, although the timetable for 1B has been significantly raised until this week.
Vaccination of all other people will probably begin in the summer, according to the city.
Additional reporting by Nolan Hicks