NEW YORK (AP & WXXI) New Yorkers 16 years of age and older can sign up for COVID-19 vaccinations starting Tuesday, a major expansion of eligibility as the state seeks to immunize as many people as possible.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo expanded eligibility to 30 and over last week and announced that people aged 16 to 29 would be eligible starting April 6.
Teens aged 16 and 17 will be limited to receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, since that is the only one that has been authorized for use by people under 18. Parental consent will be required for vaccinations of 16- and 17-year-olds, with certain exceptions including for teens who are married or are parents.
None of the available vaccines have yet been approved for people under 16.
About one in five New York state residents were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Monday, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A little more than one-third of the state's residents had received at least one vaccine dose.
The new vaccination rules add 1.7 million people to the list of eligible New Yorkers, for a total of 15.9 million individuals, state Health Department officials said.
Wegmans announced that it will open up scheduling for COVID-19 vaccination appointments for individuals 18 and older on Tuesday starting at 2:00 p.m. Wegmans will receive both the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for this week’s appointments. The vaccine offered at each location will be noted at the time of scheduling.
The scheduling opening up on Tuesday will be for appointments between April 8 and April 14.
Wegmans says the best way for those 18+ to schedule an appointment is by visiting Wegmans.com/pharmacy.
Customers without a computer can schedule an appointment by calling 1-800-207-6099.
Appointments are available on a first come, first serve basis and must be reserved in advance.
