718-634-4000

Race to Vaccinate – Are You Eligible?


Share this:

According to NYC’s Department of Health’s website, The COVID-19 vaccine will be distributed in phases to groups of people at increased risk of COVID-19 exposure or severe COVID-19 illness. The phased distribution will take time, with vaccines not expected to be widely available to all New Yorkers until mid-2021.

The different phases of COVID-19 vaccine distribution are determined by New York State and may change. The phase system is NYC’s process to ensure access is fair and equitable.

Beginning Jan 11, the state of New York is entering into Phase 1B of an eligible person to get the free COVID-19 vaccine. Here is the complete list of persons eligible for the vacation:

Older Adults
People ages 75 and older
Grocery Workers
Public-facing grocery store workers

First Responders and Support Staff for First Responder Agencies
Fire Service
State Fire Service, including firefighters and investigators (professional and volunteer)
Local Fire Services, including firefighters and investigators (professional and volunteer)

Police and Investigations
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 Investigations, including Department of Motor Vehicles, State Commission of Correction, Justice Center, Department of Financial Services, 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 for 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, College, and Child Care
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
Licensed, registered, approved or legally exempt group child care providers
Employees or support staff of licensed or registered child care setting
Licensed, registered, approved or legally exempt child care providers

Public Transit
Airline and airport employees
Passenger railroad employees
Subway and mass transit employees (MTA, LIRR, Metro-North, NYC Transit, Upstate Transit)
Ferry employees
Port Authority employees
Public bus employees

Homeless Shelters
People living in a homeless shelter where sleeping, bathing, or eating accommodations must be shared with people who are not part of their household
People working (paid or unpaid) in a homeless shelter where sleeping, bathing, or eating accommodations must be shared by people who are not part of the same household, in a position where there is potential for interaction with a shelter resident

The first group of eligible New Yorkers, the group Phase 1a, include

Health Care Workers
High-risk hospital workers (emergency room workers, ICU staff, and Pulmonary Department staff)
Federally Qualified Health Center employees
Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers
Coroners, medical examiners, and certain funeral workers
Urgent Care providers
People administering COVID-19 vaccines, including local health department staff
All Outpatient/Ambulatory frontline, high-risk health care workers of any age who provide direct in-person patient care
All staff who are in direct contact with patients (such as reception staff)
All frontline, high-risk public health workers who have direct contact with patients, including those conducting COVID-19 tests, handling COVID-19 specimens and COVID-19 vaccinations

This includes, but is not limited to:
Doctors who work in private medical practices and their staff
Doctors who work in hospital-affiliated medical practices and their staff
Doctors who work in public health clinics and their staff
Registered Nurses
Specialty medical practices of all types
Dentists and Orthodontists and their staff
Psychiatrists and Psychologists and their staff
Physical Therapists and their staff
Optometrists and their staff
Pharmacists and Pharmacy Aides
Home care workers
Hospice workers
Residents and Staff in Certain Group Living Facilities
Nursing homes and other congregate care facilities
NYS Office of Mental Health, Office People with Developmental Disabilities, and Office of Addiction Services and Supports facilities

On Monday, the city launched a hotline—877-VAX-4NYC—to make appointments by phone, with 750 customer service reps answering the phones 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. De Blasio said 24/7 hours are coming soon.  Additional resources include visiting www.NYC.gov/vcc or Text COVID to 692-692

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *