Expanded group of New Yorkers now eligible to sign up for COVID-19 vaccine

A new state website for eligible members of Group 1B to sign up for the COVID-19 vaccine is now live.

The next round of eligibility includes people age 75 or older, as well as teachers, firefighters and police.

This next round of vaccination follows the initial rollout of distribution to health care workers under Group 1A.

Information on how to find out if you’re eligible and how to schedule an appointment is available by clicking here. All vaccinations are by appointment only, officials said. Gov. Andrew Cuomo cautioned last week that it will still take an extended period to get the vaccine distributed to everyone in the 1B group.

“Due to limited supply from the federal government, all New Yorkers are encouraged to remain patient when scheduling appointments,” the governor Tweeted Monday.

People over age 75 will be vaccinated primarily at pharmacies and other sites under the state’s “retail network.”

A COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline will go live at 4 p.m. Monday for eligible New Yorkers to schedule appointments as well. The number is 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829). The public employees such as police departments and teachers will primarily be vaccinated through their groups’ relevant health programs or as organized by their unions, according to the state.

Find more information about eligibility here.

“Thousands of health care providers will be able to offer vaccination, including doctors’ offices, retail pharmacies, hospitals, and Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) of priority groups,” the state website says.

Both of the vaccines currently approved, by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, require two doses.