People 60+ Can Now Get Vaccines Without Appointments

LONG ISLAND, NY— Any New York resident aged 60 and up can now be vaccinated without an appointment at any of the state's mass vaccination sites, beginning on Friday.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the announcement from the state's mass vaccination site in Yonkers, which was set to administer its 50,000th vaccination Wednesday.

On Monday, the statewide coronavirus positivity rate stood at 2.14 percent, the lowest since November 5, with 53 deaths reported, Cuomo said.

But, he added, there are still areas of the state with higher positivity rates: While Long Island's positivity rate now stands at 2.9 percent, in western New York that number is 4.4 percent, he said. An area's positivity rate reflects the behavior of people in that region, he said.

Opening up vaccinations without appointments to residents over 60 will help older individuals who are not "internet facile," Cuomo said. Now, he added, "You don't have to go on the internet, you don't have to make a phone call. Just show up at a mass vaccination site and they will give you a vaccine. There are really no excuses."

While some say the decision to get vaccinated is personal, Cuomo said, "It's really not just about you. You are a member of a community. Part of the New York family. I believe there is a civic duty for you to do your part and do the responsible thing."