Ages 65+ Can Now Receive Covid Vaccine in New York

Pictured Above: Sandra Lindsay, RN, a critical care nurse for Northwell Health in Queens, was the first U.S. recipient of the Covid-19 vaccine in December. | Northwell Health photo

In a change of course, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Tuesday morning that New Yorkers ages 65 and over are now eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, effective immediately.

He added that the state had administered 60,000 vaccines in the 24 hours since it had opened up eligibility to people in the 1b vaccination group on Monday. New York is currently receiving 300,000 doses of the vaccine per week from the federal government.

Previously, New Yorkers ages 75 and over had been expected to be able to book a vaccination appointment as of Monday afternoon, but the federal government abruptly dropped its recommendation to ages 65 and over on Tuesday and New York quickly followed suit.

If you are eligible, you can make an appointment to receive the vaccine online here.

New York State began allowing eligible residents to register for an appointment to receive the new Covid-19 vaccine online late Monday, but we’ve heard many reports of people unable yet to find a nearby site to be vaccinated.

Local hospitals have sent us statements that they’ve been instructed to continue to prioritize health care workers in their vaccine distribution efforts.

“Stony Brook Medicine (SBM) is looking forward to being able to vaccinate its patients,” according to a statement from Stony Brook Medicine officials. “As soon as the SBM hospitals and outpatient locations receive vaccine supply for people in the Phase 1B eligibility category, we will notify patients. Because it depends on availability and distribution of vaccines, the New York State Department of Health has not yet communicated timing and currently we do not have any first dose vaccine supply.”

Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital and Stony Brook Southampton Hospital both currently say “We understand that you are anxious to receive the COVID-19 vaccine… hospitals have been directed to continue to prioritize eligible Phase 1a workers.”

Northwell Health, which was with the wave of hospital systems to distribute the first Covid-19 vaccines in the U.S., has set up a website outlining where residents can sign up to receive the vaccine, though most dates have already been booked.

Mass vaccination sites for people in the 1b vaccination group in and around New York City are coming online this week, including the Javits Center in Manhattan, the Brooklyn Armory, Bathgate Contract Postal Station in the Bronx and Jones Beach State Park, which opens on Thursday, and Citi Field in Queens, which is slated to come online the week of Jan. 25. The state also lists Stony Brook University as a mass vaccination site slated to come online next wek.

The New York State Department of Health is coordinating vaccine appointments online here.

“New York State is rapidly expanding our networks and capabilities to get as many New Yorkers vaccinated as fast as our supply allows,” said Governor Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday. “The new vaccine sites across the state will expedite our distribution to get our most vulnerable New Yorkers vaccinated efficiently. Our greatest hindrance continues to be federal inaction. We have come too far to be held back in our efforts by the inadequate vaccine supply from the federal government. I encourage New Yorkers to be patient throughout this process and urge our federal government to increase the supply to states.”

We’re expecting updates from local health care providers in the upcoming days as more local sites come online and will be providing updates here as they become available.

Here is the current list of people eligible to receive the vaccine as part of group 1b

• Individuals Age 65 and older 

• 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 

• Court Officers 
• Other Police or Peace Officers 
• Support of Civilian Staff of any of the above services, agencies or facilities 

• 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 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