As of 8 a.m. Tuesday, New Yorkers age 30 and up can begin scheduling their shots, while universal eligibility will extend to all 16 and older early next week. Vaccine eligibility had previously been restricted to people older than 50, those in certain job categories and people with underlying health conditions that put them at risk for serious illness or death if they were to become infected with the virus. Gaby Acevedo reports.
All New York residents over the age of 30 are now eligible to be vaccinated for COVID-19. Beginning next week, anyone at least 16 years old will be able to get a shot.
With millions of people becoming eligible for vaccination and hundreds of locations administering shots around the tri-state area, navigating that vaccination process can be daunting.
However, the internet, social media and apps are helping people to secure appointments for the lifesaving coronavirus vaccine -- especially millennials.
Here’s what you need to know to get vaccinated in New York -- like a millennial.
How to find a vaccination appointment on social media
As more millennials – and eventually GenZers – become eligible for vaccines, social media is becoming more of a helpful tool to find available doses.
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The now-popular twitter account @TurboVax has been helping connect New York residents to vaccines for several months. The account says it uses bots to tweet “available vaccine appointments from city and state-run administration sites.”
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Huge Ma, a 31-year-old software engineer, told the New York Times in February that he challenged himself to create the TurboVax website after seeing how complicated city and state-run vaccine websites were to navigate.
The social media account has amassed a following of more the 157,000 people since it was created in January, just weeks after the nationwide vaccine rollout began.
Advice for millennials and GenZers: After you get the shot, DO NOT post your vaccination cards on social media.
How to get vaccinated using the "Am I Eligible" app
Vaccinations at state-run sites are available by appointment only.
To schedule an appointment, you must first download the "Am I Eligible" app. If you meet the state’s eligibility requirements, you will then be prompted to select an appointment date and time. Residents must bring proof of eligibility with them to their appointment.
The state’s tool also shows residents which vaccine will be available before scheduling an appointment.
Click here for more on details eligibility requirements and scheduling an appoint through the state's app.
Note: If you visit one of these locations without an appointment, you will not receive a vaccine.
How to schedule an appointment online at CVS, Walgreens and Rite Aid
Local pharmacies determine vaccination eligibility based on state guidelines, and scheduling an appointment vary among the bunch.
New Yorkers seeking vaccinations at CVS, Walgreens, Rite Aid, and other local pharmacies can schedule appointments online at each of the pharmacies’ websites.
Residents can also find available appointments using VaccineFinder.org. Although appointments cannot be scheduled directly through the website, the portal is updated daily with open vaccination slots throughout the area and provides links to schedule appointments.
While some pharmacies show residents which of the three FDA-approved vaccines they will receive, other do not.
New York City and New Jersey Vaccine Providers
Click on each provider to find more information on scheduling appointments for the COVID-19 Vaccine.
Data: City of New York, State of New Jersey • Nina Lin / NBC
Not sure how the process works? Check out our handy tri-state vaccine site finder and FAQs here
