Dear Barnard Faculty and Staff,
I’m writing to provide you with updates about vaccination eligibility in New York and appointment options in New York City, and some new resources to find available appointments near you. I also want to share some upcoming town halls open to college and university communities with experts from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to talk about the COVID-19 vaccine.
First, on eligibility: Beginning on February 15, 2021, individuals with “comorbidities” will be eligible for vaccination. In general, New York State will follow the CDC’s guidance on people with certain medical conditions. Currently, the NYS list of eligible conditions include:
- Cancer (current or in remission, including 9/11-related cancers)
- Chronic kidney disease
- 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
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities including Down Syndrome
- 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
- Severe Obesity and Obesity, defined by body mass index
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease or Thalassemia
- Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus
- Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
- Neurologic conditions including but not limited to Alzheimer's Disease or dementia
- Liver disease
The list is subject to change as additional scientific evidence is published and as New York State obtains and analyzes additional state-specific data. Please follow the instructions of the vaccination site about what documents to bring to support your eligibility; this may include a doctor’s letter, medical information evidencing the condition, or a signed certification.
As of February 2, 2021, New York City also updated Phase 1B eligibility to include (under the Essential Workers category) the following:
- NYC Taxi and Limousine Commission (TLC) licensed drivers
- Restaurant workers
Second, I wanted to share some updates on vaccine locations:
Eligible Bronx residents can make appointments for vaccination at Yankee Stadium.
Eligible New York City residents can also make an appointment at the Armory in Washington Heights; 60% of new appointments are reserved for residents of Washington Heights, Inwood, Northern and Central Harlem, and the South Bronx.
And beginning on Wednesday, February 10, 2021, Citi Field Stadium will become a 24/7 mega vaccination site. Half of the available doses will be reserved for eligible Queens residents. The other 50% of the doses will be reserved for TLC licensees and food delivery workers.
Volunteers have created several resources to facilitate finding and scheduling vaccination appointments. A volunteer-run website, NYC Vaccine List, compiles available appointments from the website of clinics, pharmacies and other locations. Similarly, a new website, TurboVax, compiles and publically posts available appointments from different city and state vaccine sites, making it easier to find and reserve a time slot. The information from TurboVax is also posted in an automatically updated Twitter account.
Finally, I wanted to share information about these upcoming Vaccine Town Halls: College faculty and staff from campuses across New York City are invited to join experts from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene for virtual town halls about the COVID-19 vaccine. These virtual meetings are open to all college employees.
Both town halls will address the same topics; we recommend you attend only one. Use the links below to register:
I will continue to update you as we gather more information, and you can review all the information and this and previous messages at the COVID-19 Vaccine website.
Best,
Andrea Stagg, Deputy General Counsel