COVID-19 News for New Yorkers

New York has made some exciting and important COVID-19-related announcements this past week. Check out highlights below. 

New York is ramping up its COVID-19 vaccine distribution! The City is expanding the number of walk-in vaccine sites for New Yorkers 75 and older at City-run vaccine sites. Find the full list of walk-in vaccine sites. And, eligible homebound New Yorkers can fill out the Interest Form for In-Home Vaccinations for Fully Homebound New York City Residents or call 877-VAX-4-NYC (877-829-4692) to be contacted by the City for this service.

Governor Cuomo has announced a new program to allocate 35,000 COVID-19 vaccines directly to SUNY colleges and private universities to vaccinate students on campus. The initial allocation will include 21,000 vaccines administered to SUNY students and 14,000 to private colleges. The vaccines will be administered to residential and non-commuter students who are leaving for the summer. Students can make appointments directly through their schools. Click here to find out more information. 

Additionally, the City opened a vaccination site in Times Square dedicated to film, television and theater workers. The site is located at 20 Times Square, 7th Avenue between West 47th and West 48th Streets. 

Following guidance from the CDC and FDA, New York has paused its distribution of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. According to the Governor, people who have appointments TODAY to receive the J&J vaccine at a State vaccination site will receive the Pfizer vaccine. You should not cancel your appointment! We have no information on future appointments, but you can call the vaccine hotline at 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829) for more information.  

While more and more people are receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, it’s important not to forget those who are still sick and may be suffering from the effects of this virus. New York City’s Test & Trace program is launching an initiative, the AfterCare program, to help patients suffering from COVID-19 symptoms for more than 28 days -- a condition known as long-hauling or post-acute COVID-19 syndrome. The AfterCare program will start reaching out to Test & Trace long-hualing patients to see if they need help dealing with the potential long term effects of the disease. Patients will be able to access physical and mental health care, community support and financial support through the program. Additionally, various medical centers around New York City offer healthcare for long-hauler COVID patients. Click here to view a list.

Governor Cuomo has lifted New York's mandatory quarantine for asymptomatic international travelers. In updated Health Department guidance, the State says it has adopted a new policy to correspond to current CDC guidelines. The new policy requires proof of a negative test or recent COVID recovery in order to board planes headed to the U.S., but it doesn't require isolation or testing for international travelers who lack symptoms upon arrival. Though the quarantine and testing mandates have ended, state health officials still recommend those who are not fully vaccinated delay international travel. They still recommend all international travelers get tested three to five days after arriving in New York, and they also suggested that unvaccinated travelers should self-quarantine for as many as 10 days and avoid people at risk of serious illness from the virus for two weeks.

And, Mayor de Blasio has announced that public pools and beaches will reopen on time for swimming this year. Beaches will open on Memorial Day Weekend on Saturday, May 29, and pools will open on Saturday, June 26 -- the day after the last day of school. Learn more here.

Photo credit: NBC New York