NY expands 1B priority group for Covid vaccinations to people 75 and older
Groups now eligible to make appointments in 1B also include first responders, corrections officers, teachers and other school staff, in-person college instructors, childcare workers, grocery store workers, transit workers and individuals living and working in homeless shelters
Press Release, Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s Office
Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced the New Yorkers within priority group 1B can now begin scheduling appointments with individual providers, including pharmacies, local health departments, and hospitals, to receive the Covid-19 vaccine.
Those now eligible to receive the vaccine include individuals 75 and older, first responders, public safety officers, teachers and other school staff; in-person college instructors, childcare workers, public-facing grocery store workers, transit workers and individuals living and working in homeless shelters.
Eligibility determinations and a list of nearby providers where appointments can be scheduled can all be done through New York’s new “Am I Eligible” app. New Yorkers can begin calling the New York State Vaccination Hotline at 4 p.m. on Monday, January 11: 1-833-NYS-4VAX (1-833-697-4829). Click here to determine eligibility and schedule appointments with administrating providers.
Since federal supply severely limits the ability to distribute vaccine, New Yorkers are encouraged to remain patient and are advised not to show up at vaccination sites without an appointment.
New York’s vast distribution network and large population of more than 4 million eligible individuals in this priority group dwarf the vaccine supply coming from the federal government, which is arriving at a rate of approximately 300,000 doses per week. As such, eligible New Yorkers should be prepared to receive an appointment date as far as 14 weeks in the future.
“After 10 long months, the expansion of eligibility for additional New Yorkers to begin making their Covid-19 vaccination plan is a light at the end of the tunnel,” said Governor Cuomo. “The vaccine is the weapon that will end the war, and as we continue to prioritize healthcare workers as hospital capacity necessitates, New York is proud to have reached this milestone and we strongly encourage all who are newly eligible to schedule their free vaccination appointment as soon as possible.”
Under New York’s expanded eligibility, the following individuals will now be eligible to schedule a COVID-19 vaccine appointment:
Individuals Age 75 and older
First Responders and Support Staff of First Responder Agencies
- Fire Service
- State Fire Service, including firefighters and investigators (professional and volunteer)
- Local Fire Service, including firefighters and investigators (professional and volunteer)
- Police and Investigators
- State Police, including Troopers
- State Park Police, DEC Police, Forest Rangers
- SUNY Police
- Sheriffs’ Offices
- County Police Departments and Police Districts
- City, Town, and Village Police Departments
- Transit of other Public Authority Police Departments
- State Field Investigators, including Department of Motor Vehicles, State Commission of Correction, Justice Center, Department of Financial Service, Inspector General, Department of Tax and Finance, Office of Children and Family Services, and State Liquor Authority
Public Safety Communications
- Emergency Communication and Public Safety Answering Point Personnel, including dispatchers and technicians
Other Sworn and Civilian Personnel
- Court Officers
- Other Police or Peace Officers
- Support of Civilian Staff of any of the above services, agencies or facilities
Corrections
- State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Personnel, including correction and parole officers
- Local Correctional Facilities, including correction officers
- Local Probation Departments, including probation officers
- State Juvenile Detention and Rehabilitation Facilities
- Local Juvenile Detention and Rehabilitation Facilities
P-12 Schools
- P-12 school or school district faculty or staff (includes all teachers, substitute teachers, student teachers, school administrators, paraprofessional staff, and support staff including bus drivers)
- Contractors working in a P-12 school or school district (including contracted bus drivers)
- In-Person College Instructors
- Employees or Support Staff of Licensed, Registered, Approved or Legally Exempt Childcare Setting
- Licensed, Registered, Approved or Legally Exempt Childcare Providers
- In-Person College Instructors
Public-Facing Grocery Store Workers
Public Transit
- Airline and airport employees
- Passenger railroad employees
- Subway and mass transit employees (i.e., MTA, LIRR, Metro North, NYC Transit, Upstate transit)
- Ferry employees
- Port Authority employees
- Public bus employee
Individuals living in a homeless shelter where sleeping, bathing or eating accommodations must be shared with individuals and families who are not part of your the same household
Individuals working (paid or unpaid) in a homeless shelter where sleeping, bathing or eating accommodations must be shared by individuals and families who are not part of the same household, in a position where there is potential for interaction with shelter residents
Until this point, 2.1 million New Yorkers in priority group 1A have been eligible to receive the vaccine. This includes patient-facing health care and other critical hospital workers, seniors living in nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, and people with disabilities living in congregate settings.
Distribution sites were established directly within hospitals, FQHCs, and urgent care clinics to provide direct access to all those eligible. To further accelerate the vaccination rate of priority health care workers, and begin the vaccination of group 1B essential workers and 75-plus year olds, New York has established a network of distribution sites that will supplement the work being done in hospitals to prevent any one hospital from becoming overburdened.
This new network will utilize doctors’ offices, Federally-Qualified Health Centers, county health departments, ambulatory centers and pharmacies to get doses in the arms of eligible New Yorkers.
More than 1,200 pharmacies have already committed to participating in this network, with nearly 500 scheduled to come on-line this week. Providers across the state will begin accepting vaccination reservations on Monday, January 11, when a centralized state website goes online that lists nearby providers where appointments can be scheduled.
Pharmacies will be provided vaccines for New Yorkers aged 75 and older, while hospitals will continue vaccinating 1A healthcare workers, and local health departments and union-organized efforts will serve essential workers in 1B.
