New York lowers age restrictions for Covid vaccine to 30

Anyone in the state above the age of 30 can begin scheduling their shots beginning on Tuesday, Governor Andrew Cuomo announces

All New Yorkers above the age of 30 will be eligible to receive their Covid-19 vaccinations beginning on Tuesday, and anyone above the age of 16 will become eligible next week on April 6 at 8:00 AM, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday. 

The governor said the state was opening up its eligibility to anyone above the two sets of ages, regardless of work status or health conditions. 

Mr Cuomo also wrote in a tweet: “Beginning tomorrow at 8am, all New Yorkers age 30+ will be eligible to schedule and receive the vaccines.”

“Today we take a monumental step forward in the fight to beat COVID,” Mr Cuomo said in a news release.

He said the new age limits were announced “well ahead of the May 1 deadline set by the White House.”

The new rule comes as New York continues to face among the highest levels of new COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations in the nation. Infectious disease experts say the rise of potentially more contagious variants and eased COVID-19 restrictions could be fueling the virus’s spread in New York and New Jersey, in particular. Nearly three out of 10 New Yorkers have received at least a first dose of the vaccine, in line with the national average, according to CDC data.

And 15.2 percent of 19 million New Yorkers are fully vaccinated — the 39th lowest level in the nation, according to the Associated Press’ analysis of federal data. Local and county officials for weeks have urged the governor to ease restrictions on eligibility and who can administer vaccines to help speed up vaccinations. The governor has said low vaccine supplies held up vaccine distribution early on in New York’s rollout, but he has eased eligibility restrictions in recent weeks as supply has increased. New York received an average of roughly 790,000 first doses each week in March from the federal government, according to the state’s data, up from an average of 350,000 in February.

The Associated Press contributed to this report