COVID Vaccine: New Yorkers 60 And Older Now Eligible, More Essential Workers Next Week

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) — New York is expanding COVID vaccine eligibility statewide Wednesday.

Anyone over the age of 60, regardless of health status, now qualifies for a shot.

“I’m over 60, so this is the best thing going,” Upper West Side resident Kevin Porter told CBS2.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo said the state can do this because there will be more vaccines to go around, though supply from Washington, D.C. may ebb and flow.

“If the supply is increasing, we can increase our distribution levels,” he said Tuesday.

Starting next Wednesday, so-called “public-facing” workers can also get the shot, including government workers, nonprofit workers and essential building service workers.

All county and city-run sites will then be able to vaccinate anyone who is eligible — with the exception of pharmacies, which are strictly for people 60 and older and teachers.

“Why? Because [at] the pharmacies, it’s not as easy to identify different types of workers, etc. They can identify age because age is just a driver’s license,” said Cuomo. “And President Biden, rightly so, has made teachers a priority.”

Meanwhile, the MTA has launched an employee vaccination site at Grand Central Terminal, with the capacity to vaccinate 200 people a day. The site is appointment only, and Metro-North employees are expected to be the primary users.

Nearly 15,000 MTA workers have already received the vaccine.

source https://newyork.cbslocal.com/2021/03/10/ny-expands-vaccine-eligibility-60-and-older/