Governor Cuomo announces that pharmacies can now vaccinate New Yorkers with comorbidities

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced today that new guidelines have been introduced so that pharmacies can vaccinate New Yorkers with comorbidities. Pharmacies could previously vaccinate New Yorkers over the age of 60 and teachers.

“New Yorkers with comorbidities are one of the residents of our state at greatest risk, and access to the COVID-19 vaccine protects this vulnerable population as we work to defeat the virus and establish the new normal,” Governor Cuomo said. “As New York receives more doses and more people receive the vaccine, we can expand the population that pharmacies can serve, and that’s a wise step forward that will make it easier to protect New Yorkers.”

New Yorkers with comorbidities or underlying health conditions may use the following to indicate their eligibility:

• Doctor’s letter, or
• Medical information proving compassion, or
• Signed certification

New Yorkers aged 16 and over with the following conditions are eligible for vaccinations due to the increased risk of moderate or severe illness or death due to the virus that causes COVID-19:

• Cancer (currently or under remission, including 9/11 related cancers)
• Chronic kidney disease
• Lung disease, including but not limited to COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), asthma (moderate to severe), pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis and 9/11 related lung diseases
• Intellectual and developmental disabilities, including Down Syndrome
• Heart conditions, including but not limited to heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, or hypertension (high blood pressure)
• Immuno-compromised state (weakened immune system) including but not limited to solid organ transplantation or blood or bone marrow transplantation, immune deficiency, HIV, use of corticosteroids, use of other immunosuppressive drugs, or other causes
• Severe obesity (BMI 40 kg / m2), obesity (body mass index) [BMI] of 30 kg / m2 or higher, but <40 kg / m2)
• Pregnancy
• Sickle cell disease or Thalassemia
• Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus
• Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
• Neurological conditions, including but not limited to Alzheimer’s disease or dementia
• Liver disease

On March 9, Governor Cuomo announced that with an increased supply of the vaccine, restrictions on which segments of the eligible population could be vaccinated by specific providers would be relaxed to accommodate the expanded suitability from March 17. Previously, certain types of providers were focused on focusing their vaccination efforts on specific populations to ensure equitable distribution of vaccines. For example, hospitals that vaccinated health workers, local health departments that vaccinated essential workers, and pharmacies that vaccinated New Yorkers age 65 and older. As part of this effort, providers are encouraged to vaccinate the most at-risk New Yorkers, such as individuals 60 years and older and people with comorbidities and underlying health conditions. Today’s announcement builds on these efforts.

The state of New York has continued to expand its eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine and the establishment of mass vaccination centers and pop-up sites. Governor Cuomo had earlier announced that all New Yorkers aged 60 and over would be eligible to receive the vaccine from March 10, while the public facing essential workers from government and non-profit organizations would be eligible from March 17. This expansion also includes essential public facing construction workers.

On March 17, the Governor announced that appointments to 10 new state-run mass vaccination centers were available across the state. On March 18, Governor Cuomo announced that 16 community-based vaccination sites would come online next week at churches, public housing developments and community centers. These sites are expected to vaccinate more than 4,500 people during the week.