As of January 11, 2021, New Yorkers in Phase 1a and segments of Phase 1b are eligible for the vaccines. ALL VACCINATIONS ARE BY APPOINTMENT ONLY. Eligible groups include doctors, nurses and health care workers, people age 75 and over, first responders, teachers, public transit workers, grocery store workers and public safety workers. Residents and staff at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities will continue to be vaccinated through a federal program, which the state is providing resources to accelerate.

You can visit this site to check your eligibility to receive the COVID-19 vaccine: https://am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/

People age 65 and over can call the COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline, open 7AM - 10PM, 7 days a week,  to schedule a vaccination appointment. The hotline number is 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829).

Public employees (for example, police departments, public school teachers) will primarily be vaccinated through their groups’ relevant health programs or as organized by their unions.

Health care workers who are part of Phase 1a will continue to be vaccinated at hospitals and other clinical settings.

I continue to call on the state to expand access to free COVID-19 testing in the 54th District. Expanding testing is critical to bring the pandemic under control and begin our economic recovery. We need greater access to permanent testing, particularly in our rural communities, to reopen businesses, get people back to work, and keep children in school. I will continue to work with our counties to ensure that they receive the testing supplies they need from the state, and to ensure that the state’s vaccine distribution plans include the needs of communities in the district, particularly our more rural communities.

My priority is ensuring that anyone who wants a vaccine gets a vaccine, as quickly as possible. It is critical that the state work with our local governments, first responders and health care providers to get the vaccine out to those who want it. We need to do this quickly and ensure that it is available and accessible to people in rural and medically underserved areas.