Are you eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine?

How to find out

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“When can I get the COVID-19 vaccine?” You, like many others, are probably asking yourself this question.

New York State is now allowing the administration of the COVID-19 vaccine in two phases: Phase 1A and Phase 1B. Individuals are placed under one of these two categories based on their occupation.

Phase 1A

New York State says the following occupations determine eligibility under Phase 1A:

• Anyone conducting COVID-19 tests

• Anyone handling COVID-19 lab specimens and COVID-19 vaccinations

• Private medical practices

• Public health clinics

• Hospice workers

• Dialysis workers

• Diagnostic and treatment centers

• Personal care aides

• Occupational therapists

• Physical therapists

• Speech therapists

• Specialty medical practices (all types)

• Dental practices (all types)

• Phlebotomists

• Behavioral health workers

• Consumer-directed personal care workers

• Student health workers

• Home care workers and aides

Phase 1B

Qualifications and occupations under Phase 1B that determine vaccine eligibility include:

• Anyone 75 and older

• Fire service (e.g., state and local firefighters and investigators) - both professional and volunteer

• Police and investigations workers (e.g., all state, county, and local police agencies and state field investigators)

• First responders and agency support staff

• Public safety communications (e.g., emergency communication and public safety answering point personnel, such as dispatchers and technicians)

• Corrections (e.g., state Department of Corrections and Community Supervision personnel, local correctional facilities and local probation departments, and state and local juvenile detention and rehabilitation facilities)

• Any sworn and civilian personnel (e.g., court officers, other police or peace officers, and civilian support staff)

• Public transit workers (e.g., airline and airport employees, passenger railroad employees, subway and mass transit employees, ferry employees, Port Authority employees, and public bus employees)

• P-12 school or school district faculty or staff (e.g., 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 (e.g., contracted bus drivers)

• Licensed, registered, approved, or legally exempt group childcare and group childcare providers (e.g., employees and support staff)

• Public-facing grocery store workers

• Individuals living or working in homeless shelters (if sleeping, bathing, or eating accommodations are shared with others not part of your household)

• In-person college instructors

What About Phase 2 and Phase 3?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Phase 2 administration of the COVID-19 vaccine will be distributed to the following:

• K-12 teachers and school staff and child care workers

• Critical workers in high-risk settings - workers who are in industries essential to the functioning of society and substantially higher risk of exposure

• People of all ages with comorbid and underlying conditions that put them at moderately higher risk

• People in homeless shelters or group homes for individuals with disabilities, including serious mental illness, development and intellectual disabilities, and physical disabilities or in recovery, and staff who work in such settings

• People in prisons, jails, detention centers, and similar facilities, and staff who work in such settings

• All older adults not included in Phase 1

And then Phase 3:

• Young adults

• Children

• Workers in industries and occupations important to the functioning of society and at increased risk of exposure not included in Phase 1 or 2

More information about the different phases for the vaccine can be found here.

So Are You Eligible?

New York State offers a simple way to find out if you’re eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine yet. Simply fill out this form.