Nick Taylor
If you live long enough, you’ll turn 75 years old someday. I reached that milestone last November, but I wasn’t really happy about it until this morning. Today was my first day of eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine, and I made an appointment to get my first shot on Thursday, Jan. 14 between 9:15 and 9:30 a.m.
Ultimately it was pretty easy. But I had to find the right access point to the vaccination system that exists in New York City. Some of the phone numbers provided by the New York City Health and Mental Hygiene Department weren’t helpful. I started early in the morning on the first day my age group opened. The numbers led to health centers or urgent care locations that were closed, or messages hadn’t been updated to mention the new eligibles in Phase 1b. If you can, it’s probably better to go online to sign up for a vaccination.
While I was looking through the Health Department list, I got an email from a tennis buddy from my Monday night group. He said, “Go to this site. Fill out info. I just signed up online for a shot at the Javits Center on January 14.”
I jumped on it and went to the New York State Department of Health website.
When I logged on around 8:30 a.m. I first had to answer questions to confirm that I was eligible. Once I passed that hurdle by supplying my birthdate along with personal and contact information, more questions screened me for potential dangers: did I have COVID symptoms, was I on blood thinners, or had I suffered reactions to vaccinations in the past. At the end there were 13 appointments available in my time window and I got one of them. A registration ticket arrived via both email and text message.
Two of my tennis partners will be there at the same time. But early in the afternoon, I wanted to see if a site closer to my Greenwich Village home would have an appointment.
I clicked on a RITE AID location on Hudson Street about 2 p.m. to see if they had slots available. It was closer, and would have been more convenient. The site told me that 4847 users were in line ahead of me, and that the appointment line was “paused.”
If you want to know if you are in group 1b, we have the list below.
Who Can Get the COVID Vaccine in the second wave — Phase 1 b
Phase 1b:
As of Monday, January 11
People 75 and older
Grocery Workers
First Responders and Support Staff for First Responder Agencies
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
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
P-12 Schools, College and Child Care
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
Public Transit
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
Homeless Shelters
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
More 1 b Eligibility
Likely starting February 2021
Other frontline essential workers (to be determined by New York State)
Other at-risk groups (to be determined by New York State)
AND THEN
Phase 1c:
Likely starting March-April 2021
Likely includes:
People ages 65 to 74
People with certain underlying health conditions (to be determined by New York State)
All other essential workers (to be determined by New York State)
Phase 2:
Likely starting Summer 2021
All other people
