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City Aggressively Ramps Up Capacity for COVID-19 Vaccinations Citywide

January 4, 2021

City to expand vaccination capacity for eligible groups through local Vaccination Hubs and other locations

NEW YORK— The City today announced its plan to aggressively scale up its capacity for COVID-19 vaccinations citywide. Over 125 vaccination sites are now open across the city, with plans to expand to a total of 160 sites by this weekend and 250 by the end of the month. The number of eligible New Yorkers continues to expand, as additional healthcare workers and front-line staff in patient-facing roles are now able to be vaccinated This expansion is part of the ongoing provision of vaccine to individuals in Phase 1A, which began with high-risk healthcare workers  and staff and residents at long-term care facilities. As of this morning, New York City has administered more than 110,000 doses to these individuals in Phase 1A.

“From manufacturing PPE, to building out a comprehensive testing system, the pandemic has showed us that New York City doesn’t back down in the face of a challenge,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “We are moving full steam ahead with our plan to get vaccines out of the freezer and into the arms of more New Yorkers, but we can’t do this alone. To accelerate our pace, we need more support and flexibility from our partners at every level of government, as well as more supply from manufacturers to map out the road ahead.”

New vaccination sites will be developed and opened at a range of new and existing locations this week, including:

  • Health + Hospitals Gotham Health facilities,
  • Pop-up Vaccine Clinics hosted by DOHMH,
  • NYC Vaccine Hubs,
  • and other locations.

For address and scheduling information go to nyc.gov/covidvaccine.

The vaccinating facility will require individuals seeking vaccines to complete the NYS COVID-19 Vaccine Form in order to track demographic and occupational characteristics of vaccine recipients. New York State requires the provider administering the vaccine to check the form for completeness. The NYSDOH vaccine form includes a self-attestation regarding eligibility for vaccination. Vaccination eligibility must be based on current employment status.

In addition, individuals will need to bring proof of employment, such as an employee ID card, a letter from their employer or affiliated organization, or a recent pay stub.

As of January 4, 2021, the following groups are eligible for COVID-19 vaccine:

  • All outpatient and ambulatory frontline, high-risk health care providers who provide in-person patient care or other staff in a position where they have direct contact with patients of any age. This includes hospital and community-based ambulatory care, primary care, and outpatient behavioral health service providers; phlebotomists; physical and occupational therapists; and specialty clinics, including dialysis centers.
  • All frontline, high-risk public health workers who have direct contact with patients
  • Health care workers at COVID-19 testing sites
  • High-risk hospital and Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) staff
  • Emergency medical service (EMS) personnel
  • Medical examiners and coroners
  • Funeral workers who have direct contact with infectious material and bodily fluids
  • Staff and residents in congregate living facilities run by the NYS Offices for People With Developmental Disabilities, Mental Health, and Addiction Services and Supports
  • Urgent care providers
  • Staff administering the COVID-19 vaccine
  • Dentists and dental staff

For additional questions, go to: nyc.gov/covidvaccine.

“This expansion of eligibility to more New Yorkers will enable us to get the vaccine to hundreds of thousands more New Yorkers in the coming  weeks,” said Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Melanie Hartzog. “As part of this expansion––and as we await more guidance from the Federal and State governments about upcoming expansions, including when we can start vaccinating certain populations, so we can more effectively plan ahead––we’re doing everything we can at the City level with the information we have to ensure we’re preparing with sufficient sites where New Yorkers can go to get the vaccine when the time comes. This includes developing and deploying  new site models as well as adding more vaccination capacity to existing vaccination locations, which we’ll begin to open this week, helping us hit the ground running as soon as we’re permitted to move forward more broadly.”

“Making more New Yorkers eligible will quicken the pace of vaccination for the entire city,” said Health Commissioner Dr. Dave. A. Chokshi. “To accommodate these individuals, we will be launching new sites where eligible New Yorkers can get vaccinated including hubs at local high schools and build the capacity at neighborhood clinics.”

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