NYS starts COVID-19 vaccination for group 1B, including 75+ years old

New York, Jan 12 : New Yorkers within priority group 1B can now begin scheduling appointments with individual providers, including pharmacies, local health departments, and hospitals, to receive the Covid-19 vaccine, the state government announced.
Those now eligible to receive the vaccine include individuals 75 years and older, first responders, public safety officers, teachers and other school staff, in-person college instructors, childcare workers, public-facing grocery store workers, transit workers and individuals living and working in homeless shelters, according to an official statement released on Monday, Xinhua news agency reported.
Eligibility determinations and a list of nearby providers where appointments can be scheduled can all be done through New York’s new “Am I Eligible” mobile application. New Yorkers can begin calling the New York State Vaccination Hotline at 4 p.m. Monday.
“Since federal supply severely limits the ability to distribute vaccine, New Yorkers are encouraged to remain patient and are advised not to show up at vaccination sites without an appointment,” said the statement.
New York’s vast distribution network and large population of more than 4 million eligible individuals in this priority group dwarf the vaccine supply coming from the federal government, which is arriving at a rate of approximately 300,000 doses per week, it said.
“As such, eligible New Yorkers should be prepared to receive an appointment date as far as 14 weeks in the future,” it added.