Vaccine Eligibility Opens For People With Underlying Conditions

LONG ISLAND, NY — Vaccine eligibility opened up for people with underlying conditions on Sunday, according to New York State Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Beginning at 8 a.m., people with comorbidities were able to go online to determine their eligibility for vaccinations at state mass vaccination sites, including the SUNY Stony Brook University Innovation and Discovery Center in Stony Brook and Jones Beach, among others statewide.

Many who went online early said they were asked to wait in a virtual line to schedule their appointment. The slots filled quickly and by the end of Sunday, both Stony Brook and Jones Beach reportedly had no appointment times left, but people were asked to check back over the coming days and weeks as new appointment availability opens up.

Cuomo said as of Sunday, 102,907 first and second doses of the COVID-19 vaccine had been administered in the last 24 hours.

"We remain locked in a footrace between the infection rate and the vaccination rate, and while we are making significant progress on both fronts thanks to the hard work of New Yorkers, but can't become complacent — now is not the time to get cocky with COVID," Cuomo said. "With more than 10 million New Yorkers now eligible for the vaccine, we have the infrastructure in place to get it administered quickly and fairly but continue to only be held back by the supply. Thankfully, with real leadership now in Washington, we've begun to see that supply increase and expect that trend to continue until New York is COVID-free."

The 'Am I Eligible' screening tool was updated for people with comorbidities and underlying conditions with new appointments released on a rolling basis over the next weeks.

Starting next week, local health departments will also receive vaccine allocations for those individuals. New Yorkers can use a doctor's letter; medical information evidencing comorbidity; or signed certification to prove their eligibility, Cuomo said.

Pharmacies are currently only accepting vaccination appointments for individuals over 65 years of age.

Although the federal government has increased the weekly supply by more than 20 percent over the next three weeks, New York's distribution network and large population of eligible individuals exceeds the supply, Cuomo said.

New Yorkers are advised not to show up at vaccination sites without an appointment.

Were you able to get an appointment for a vaccination Sunday? Share your experience with Patch in the comments section.