Good afternoon,

On Friday evening, the Administration issued a press release announcing that NY’s ‘1b’ Priority Group will be eligible to receive the vaccine as soon as tomorrow (1/11).  There is often confusion after such an announcement since the language the Governor uses during his daily live briefings can be slightly different from written information, so we checked our understanding over the weekend and we have confirmed that the following New Yorkers are added (as of 1/11) to the existing priority populations currently eligible for the vaccine:

New 1b Grouping as of 1/11:
– Education workers
First responders
Public safety workers
Public transit workers
People 75 and older

NYS Council members are urged to use the spreadsheets distributed by the state and New York City when seeking appointments for eligible staff and consumers, and to seek partnerships with local FQHCs and other vaccination outlets.  According to the latest press release, New Yorkers can also use the state’s eligibility tools (below) although the Administration is clearly continuing to rely on healthcare employers to schedule their eligible staff and clients for the vaccine.  We are told both tools will confirm eligibility and, in instances where the individual using the tool is declared eligible, the tool will apparently give locations where the vaccine is available.

NYS Tool: https://am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/

NYC also created a vaccine location tool: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-vaccine-locations.page

Please remember that, as was the case with the 1a priority group, it is possible we will see the state add to the current 1b grouping over the next several weeks.  Having said this, it is important to consider that there are over 3 million eligible New Yorkers in the new 1b grouping.  Also, during his daily briefing on Friday, the Governor stated that while over 600 additional  vaccination sites are opening up across the state, there may not yet be vaccine on hand at these new outlets.  It is all about the amount of vaccine being made available to New York State.

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In response to several requests, I have pasted a link to the NYS Council/CHCANYS 2020 Telehealth White Paper issued in June 2020, just weeks before we were asked to meet with the Governor’s Blue Ribbon Commission, followed by a handful of TV and radio appearances in which I discussed the basis for our recommendations and the need for swift action to make many of the current flexibilities we have permanent.
https://files.constantcontact.com/b6bde37a401/916db539-774d-477d-86e1-e14b03d7e105.pdf

Note:  The Press Release also contains a link to the White Paper online.