TOMPKINS COUNTY, N.Y.—Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Monday that all New Yorkers over the age of 30 are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine starting tomorrow, March 30 at 8 a.m. All New Yorkers over the age of 16 will be eligible on April 6 to begin scheduling their vaccinations. It’s the largest expansion of eligibility yet, as previously the largest groups had been New York residents with comorbidities and Cuomo’s recent announcement that all residents of the state over 50 would be eligible.

State-run vaccination sites are accessible via the state-appointment terminal, with the closest sites being in Johnson City at SUNY Binghamton and the State Fairgrounds in Syracuse. Tompkins County residents impacted by the announcement should wait until they are eligible (for those over 30, the date is March 30; for those over 16, the date is April 6) and then can sign up for the county’s vaccination registry, which notifies eligible populations when appointments are available more locally and, at times, randomly selects groups of people to schedule appointments once they are eligible.

The Tompkins County mass vaccination site is being held at the former Sears location in the Shops at Ithaca Mall. Due to supply, the county site has been slower than state sites to open up eligibility, though that has gradually been changing over the last several weeks as the supply chain has grown more consistent and stable. The county has partnered with OurBus to offer twice daily shuttles to the vaccination site in Binghamton, and the company has said that shuttles to the Syracuse vaccination site will begin this Friday (though cost is unclear—an announcement from the company is expected later Monday).

Appointments for those 50 and up, as well as teachers, have also been made available at Kinney Drugs locations.

President Joe Biden had previously urged states to open up eligibility for all adults by May 1, and Cuomo’s announcement would seem to satisfy that request.

 

Matt Butler is the Editor in Chief of The Ithaca Voice. He can be reached by email at mbutler@ithacavoice.org.