The first month of official vaccine distribution over in New York as well as a number of states didn't really inspire confidence despite massive efforts. However, with the new expansion of vaccine access, a number of other people in New York are now eligible to get the vaccine over the next few weeks.
Who can sign up for the vaccine?
January 12 - The health and Human Service Secretary known as Alex Azar has instructed all of the states to open vaccinations towards all Americans over the age of 65. That very same day, the Governor Andrew Cuomo announced aside from New Yorkers above 65, those with certain pre-existing conditions as well as those considered immunosuppressed are eligible for the first two doses according to the story by NYMag.
This means that over 7 million residents of New York are eligible in the current tier known as the 1b. Last week, it included the following:
Teachers
Public-safety workers
Police
Firefighters
EMT
Other first responders
Public-transit workers
Pharmacy Clerks
Stock workers
Cashiers
Delivery Staff
1.4 million New Yorkers over age 75
The rule now changes in order to allow medical providers to give the said vaccine to any of the public-facing employees for the extra doses in a vial and none from the priority population can come in before the said doses expire.
Phase 1 had prioritized health-care workers in certain patient-care settings, the long-term-care facility workers, and even the at-risk long-term-care facility patients.
The phase 1a added any of the health-care workers all providing in-person services, pharmacists, and even a number of health-care staff.
How to sign up for COVID vaccine
Starting January 11, those eligible for the tier 1b can click this link to sign online. Governor Cuomo however warned that it might take some weeks for all of those that are eligible in the phase 1b to get their vaccine.
In order to determine eligibility, the state uses an online screener that requires residents to answer certain questions determining their age or if their employment qualifies them to be under the 1B guidelines for a vaccine shot. After having completed the online form, those that are eligible are now directed to a certain site listing vaccination sites to make an appointment.
There is also a hotline for faster transactions that started on January 11: call 1-833-NYS-4VAX
Over in New York City, the official Health Department has actually set up a portal that is called the NYC COVID Vaccine Finder. This helps residents schedule certain appointments. The NYX Health Department is requiring residents to answer about 50 questions during the verification process and this raises immediate concerns regarding accessibility for the older New Yorkers as well as those who can't access a computer.
Read Also: New Chest X-ray Tool Uses AI to Detect COVID-19 with 83% Accuracy
What if I can't qualify for COVID vaccine?
For those that can't qualify for this current tier, the government's office stated that the next phase could start sometime late January.
How to get the second shot of COVID vaccine?
Residents that have gotten the first shot will have to wait for a while before receiving the second shot. The information will be entered in the New York State Immunization Information System which will update residents regarding the second shot.
Related Article: COVID-19 New Strain: It's More Contagious, But Scientists Say Not to Worry
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Urian Buenconsejo
