New York will expand eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine to people who are 30 and older on Tuesday, and make it eligible for people who are 16 and above on April 6, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday.
New York, which last week lowered the eligibility age for the vaccines to 50, was one of just a handful of states not to have set a concrete date for universal eligibility since President Joe Biden called for reaching the goal by May 1.
The move comes amid a surge in COVID-19 cases in New York and neighboring New Jersey, which now rank Number 1 and 2 in new infections per capita among all 50 states, underscoring the pressure to roll out vaccines as quickly as possible.
Biden said on Monday that 90% of all adults in the United States will be eligible for vaccination by April 19.
“Today we take a monumental step forward in the fight to beat COVID” Cuomo said in a statement. “We can see the light at the end of the tunnel, but until we get there it is more important than ever for each and every New Yorker to wear a mask, socially distance and follow safety guidelines.”
New York, the country’s fourth most populous state, has to date administered more than 9 million total vaccine doses, with 30% of its population receiving at least one dose, Cuomo said in the statement.
