COVID-19: Vaccine Eligibility
The COVID-19 vaccine is currently being distributed to various groups of people who are at increased risk of COVID-19 exposure or severe illness. The vaccine is expected to be widely available to all New Yorkers by mid-2021.
New York State determines when new groups become eligible for the vaccine, and their schedule may change. New York City is committed to ensuring that access to the vaccine is fair and equitable.
We will update this page as new eligible groups are announced, so check back here regularly.
- If you are eligible, find a vaccination site near you (not accessible with Internet Explorer).
- Proof of eligibility you may need to bring to your appointment
- New York State: Phased Distribution of the Vaccine
Currently Eligible
Underlying Health Conditions
New York residents who have:
- Cancer (current or in remission, including 9/11-related cancers)
- Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
- Chronic kidney disease
- Heart conditions, including but not limited to heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathies or hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system), including but not limited to solid organ transplant or from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, use of other immune weakening medicines or other causes
- Intellectual and developmental disabilities including Down syndrome
- Liver disease
- Neurologic conditions including but not limited to Alzheimer's disease or dementia
- Pulmonary disease, including but not limited to COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), asthma (moderate-to-severe), pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis and 9/11-related pulmonary diseases
- Pregnancy
- Severe obesity (body mass index of 40 kg/m2 or higher), obesity (body mass index of between 30 kg/m2 and 40 kg/m2)
- Sickle cell disease or thalassemia
- Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus
Older Adults
- New York residents ages 65 and older
Group Living Facility Residents and Staff
- Nursing homes and other congregate care facilities
- NYS Office of Mental Health, Office People with Developmental Disabilities, and Office of Addiction Services and Supports facilities
- People living in a homeless shelter where sleeping, bathing or eating accommodations must be shared with people who are not part of their household
- People working (paid or unpaid) in a homeless shelter where sleeping, bathing or eating accommodations must be shared by people who are not part of the same household, in a position where there is potential for interaction with shelter residents
- Staff and residents of residential programs for victims of domestic violence and family type home for adults
- Staff and residents of unlicensed congregate supportive housing
Corrections
- State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision Personnel, including correction and parole officers
- Local Correctional Facilities, including correction officers
- Local Probation Departments, including probation officers
- State Juvenile Detention and Rehabilitation Facilities
- Local Juvenile Detention and Rehabilitation Facilities
First Responders and Support Staff
Fire Service
- State Fire Service, including firefighters and investigators (professional and volunteer)
- Local Fire Services, including firefighters and investigators (professional and volunteer)
Police and Investigations
- State Police, including Troopers
- State Park Police, DEC Police, Forest Rangers
- SUNY Police
- Sheriffs' Offices
- County Police Departments and Police Districts
- City, Town and Village Police Departments
- Transit of other Public Authority Police Departments
- State Field Investigations, including Department of Motor Vehicles, State Commission of Correction, Justice Center, Department of Financial Services, Inspector General, Department of Tax and Finance, Office of Children and Family Services and State Liquor Authority
Public Safety Communications
- Emergency Communication and Public Safety Answering Point Personnel, including dispatchers and technicians
Other Sworn and Civilian Personnel
- Court Officers
- Other Police or Peace Officers
- Support of Civilian Staff for any of the above services, agencies or facilities
Food Industry Workers
Grocery Stores
- Grocery store workers
- Convenience store workers
- Bodega workers
- Regional food bank paid or unpaid workers
- Food pantry paid or unpaid workers
- Permitted home-delivered meal program paid or unpaid workers
Restaurants
- Restaurant workers and delivery workers
- Permitted soup kitchen paid or unpaid workers
- Congregate meal program paid or unpaid workers
Health Care Workers
- High-risk hospital workers (emergency room workers, ICU staff and Pulmonary Department staff)
- Federally Qualified Health Center employees
- Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers
- Coroners, medical examiners and certain funeral workers
- Urgent Care providers
- People administering COVID-19 vaccines, including local health department staff
- All Outpatient/Ambulatory frontline, high-risk health care workers of any age who provide direct in-person patient care
- All staff who are in direct contact with patients (such as reception staff)
- All frontline, high-risk public health workers who have direct contact with patients, including those conducting COVID-19 tests, handling COVID-19 specimens and COVID-19 vaccinations
This includes, but is not limited to:
- Doctors who work in private medical practices and their staff
- Doctors who work in hospital-affiliated medical practices and their staff
- Doctors who work in public health clinics and their staff
- Registered Nurses
- Specialty medical practices of all types
- Dentists and Orthodontists and their staff
- Psychiatrists and Psychologists and their staff
- Physical Therapists and their staff
- Optometrists and their staff
- Pharmacists and Pharmacy Aides
- Home care workers and aides
- Hospice workers
- Personal care aides
- Consumer-directed personal care workers
Hotels
- Hotel workers who have direct contact with guests
Public Transit and TLC Drivers
- Airline and airport employees
- Passenger railroad employees
- Subway and mass transit employees (MTA, LIRR, Metro North, NYC Transit, Upstate Transit)
- Ferry employees
- Port Authority employees
- Public bus employees
- NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) licensed drivers
Schools (PreK-12), College, Child Care and Early Intervention
- P-12 school or school district faculty or staff (includes all teachers, substitute teachers, student teachers, school administrators, paraprofessional staff and support staff including bus drivers)
- Contractors working in a P-12 school or school district (including contracted bus drivers)
- In-person college instructors
- Licensed, registered, approved or legally exempt group child care
- Licensed, registered, approved or legally exempt group child care providers
- Employees or support staff of licensed or registered child care setting
- Licensed, registered, approved or legally exempt child care providers
- Early Intervention therapists and teachers with active service authorizations (as of January 13)
State Office of Children and Family Services
- State operated staff
- Licensed or certified residential programs staff and eligible residents
Next Eligible Groups
March-April 2021
- Other at-risk groups (to be determined by New York State)
- Other essential workers (to be determined by New York State)
Summer 2021
- All other people
If you have questions, call the New York State COVID-19 hotline at 833-NYS-4-VAX (833-697-4829).