New York pharmacies can now offer COVID-19 vaccines to anyone with an underlying disease, health officials say.
The state Department of Health said as of March 17, pharmacies were “authorized to vaccinate people with comorbidities or underlying conditions.”
Previously, pharmacies had limited themselves to administering shots to people 60 years of age or older, school employees and daycare workers.
However, other currently eligible groups, such as food industry workers, taxi and car-sharing drivers and first responders, are not allowed to sign up for jab at pharmacies.
The expansion of eligibility in pharmacies comes as more than 7.5 million vaccine doses have been administered in the state, with at least 3.4 million distributed in the Big Apple so far.
“As we overcome another milestone with vaccines in our ongoing war against COVID, we need to remember that we are still in a race with the infection rate and other important metrics,” Governor Andrew Cuomo said in a communiqué.
“We have made remarkable progress, but we need to be vigilant and determined as we open up more sectors of our economy. Any increase in face-to-face activity can have consequences if we don’t do it right.
“In the meantime, I demand that all eligible New Yorkers who have not yet been vaccinated sign up for an appointment immediately and get their second dose back as needed.”