COVID-19 Vaccinations

Appointments are required to receive a vaccination. To determine your eligibility, access a list of nearby providers, and schedule your vaccination appointment, use New York State’s Am I Eligible app. Prior to receiving your scheduled vaccination, you must complete the New York State COVID-19 Vaccine Form. Please be patient and continue to monitor these links frequently for available vaccine appointments:

New York City: https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov/ or 877-VAX-4NYC (877-829-4692)

New York State: https://am-i-eligible.covid19vaccine.health.ny.gov/ or call 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829)

VaccineTogetherNY: https://vaccinetogetherny.org/Pages/default.aspx or call 646-697-VACC

To schedule an appointment, go to: https://vax4nyc.nyc.gov/patient/s/.

To find a vaccination site, go to: https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov/locations.

 

Your physician or local pharmacy may also have information on scheduling vaccine appointments.

 

If you need transportation to get your vaccine appointment, click this link for a list of options: https://forms.ny.gov/s3/vaccine.

 

To schedule an appointment at Yankee Stadium, you can also call 1-833-SomosNY. Another new mass vaccination site opened at Co-Op City on Thursday, March 4, which is open to all eligible applicants.

 

For trustworthy information on the vaccines and the research behind them, go to: https://www1.nyc.gov/site/doh/covid/covid-19-vaccine-facts.page.

 

The MTA announced that it has launched a new vaccination site locator on its live subway map. See the map here:

https://map.mta.info/#@40.70949,-73.97853,14z

 

More Help with Scheduling Vaccine Appointments

Epicenter-NYC is a vetted, volunteer group, assisting New Yorkers to find and schedule vaccine appointments, particularly the elderly, and anyone not adept at using the internet. More details can be found here: https://epicenter-nyc.com/epicenters-vaccine-resources/ or my emailing hello@epicenter-nyc.com.

 

Separately, and additionally, the turbovax site, https://www.turbovax.info/, scans the websites of all providers offering the vaccine throughout the city and lists their available appointments.

 

Another volunteer group who go by the Twitter handle @VaccineschedNYC and Instagram handle @VaccineSchedulerNYC are also helping vulnerable populations like seniors and non-native English speakers to book vaccine appointments. For questions, contact VaccineSchedulerNYC@gmail.com or phone/text: 646-494-7029.

 

Latest Updates on Vaccine Eligibility

Who is now eligible? New York residents aged 30 and older, incarcerated people

over 16s with the following conditions:

• cancer
• chronic kidney disease
• pulmonary disease e.g. cystic fibrosis
• intellectual or developmental disabilities including Down syndrome
• heart conditions, including hypertension
• immunocompromised state e.g. organ recipient
• severe obesity
• pregnancy
• sickle cell disease
• type 1 or type 2 diabetes
• cerebrovascular disease
• neurological conditions such as Alzheimer’s or dementia
• liver disease

 

The following industry groups are now also eligible:

• Group Living Facility Residents & Staff
• Essential in-person public-facing building service workers (does not include workers at construction sites)
• Correctional Facilities Workers
• First Responders
• Emergency Communication and Public Safety Answering Point Personnel, including dispatchers and technicians
• Other Sworn and Civilian Personnel
• Grocery Store Workers
• Regional Food Bank paid or unpaid workers
• Permitted home-delivered meal program paid or unpaid workers
• Restaurant Workers
• Government & Nonproft Workers
• Health Care Workers
• Hotel workers who have direct contact with guests
• Public Transit & TLC Drivers
• Schools (PreK-12), College, Childcare & Early Intervention Workers
• State Office of Children and Family Services Workers

 

COVID-19 Testing Sites

For a full list of COVID-19 testing sites, text “COVID TEST” to 855-48 or go to:

https://www1.nyc.gov/site/coronavirus/get-tested/covid-19-testing.page.

 

Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj Retires  

At 72, Rev. Dr. Christopher Ponnuraj is retiring, on April 11, from his role as pastor of the Bedford Park Congregational Church, located at East 201st Street and Bainbridge Avenue in Bedford Park. A replacement pastor has not yet been announced. Ponnuraj has served as pastor since December 1996. He is married with one son. He will continue some chaplaincy work at Calvary Hospital and will also deliver some sermons occasionally at local churches.

  

Help with SSI Benefits

People can apply for SSI benefits, and other benefit programs, through a telephone appointment with the agency, even while local offices are not able to accept walk-in visitors. People can call toll-free 1-800-772-1213, or their local Social Security office, to make a phone appointment to apply for SSI.  People who are deaf or hard of hearing may call Social Security’s TTY number, 1-800-325-0778.

 

A new webpage at www.socialsecurity.gov/thirdparty, is available for anyone who can assist another person with accessing Social Security’s programs and services. Information on how to help support children with disabilities can be found at www.socialsecurity.gov/benefits/disability/apply-child.html).

 

Business Start-Up / Recovery Workshops

The Bronx Small Business Development Center is organizing two half-day Business Start-Up / Recovery Workshops on April 6 and April 13. Sign up at www.bronxsbdc.org for more information.

 

Stop & Shop Announces New Bronx Location  

Stop & Shop announced a new pick-up location at its Crotona store (961 East 174th Street).  Crotona joins the group’s Castle City store (1720 Eastchester Rd.) in allowing shoppers to place an order at www.stopandshop.com, or on the Stop & Shop mobile app, head to the store, and have a Stop & Shop associate load their groceries right into their car.