Nassau County Executive Laura Curran spoke at NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island on Wednesday, days after the 1-year anniversary of the first COVID-19 case reported in Nassau County. Credit: Newsday / Chris Ware/Chris Ware

This story was reported by Scott Eidler, Bart Jones, Antonio Planas and David Reich-Hale. It was written by Jones.

One day after New York announced it is dropping the age threshold to receive a COVID-19 vaccine from 65 to 60, pharmacies on Wednesday reported getting numerous inquiries from people looking to sign up.

At the same time, the state confirmed it opened up thousands of appointments at its mass vaccination sites after slots had been booked solid through mid-April. That had left many people trying in vain to sign up for a shot at locations including Jones Beach and Stony Brook University.

The new appointments are available through at least the end of May.

"As is standard practice, we opened up additional appointments at state-run mass vaccination sites this morning, when eligibility expanded to individuals 60 to 64 years old," Jack Sterne, a spokesman for Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, said Wednesday. "Most state-run mass vaccination had been booked through April 16 — over a month out — and these new appointments represent the next tranche available."

On Tuesday the state said people 60 and older would become eligible to get the shots, and that pharmacists would be focused on vaccinating that group along with teachers. The change went into effect Wednesday morning.

"I've already heard the calls coming in, and they're asking for appointments," said Nidhin Mohan, who owns New Island Pharmacy in Deer Park and is co-owner of West Islip Pharmacy in West Islip.

Mohan said the West Islip location received 100 doses of the Moderna vaccine earlier this week, and that most, if not all, of those doses are already scheduled.

"We expect more deliveries next week and hope to have it in Deer Park soon, too," he said.

Mohan added that by widening who can get the vaccine, the state will cut down on waste.

"As the vaccine has been easier to find, we've heard stories about last-minute cancellations, and if you can't find someone eligible to take that dose, it can get thrown out," Mohan said. "It will be a lot easier to find someone else to fill the canceled appointment."

Lori Pape receives her vaccine for COVID-19 on Wednesday from...

Lori Pape receives her vaccine for COVID-19 on Wednesday from registered nurse Phyllis Gallagher at Americare in Garden City South. Pharmacies became one of the go-to places for shots for state residents 60 and older and teachers. Credit: Howard Schnapp

Cuomo said on Tuesday that deliveries of doses by the federal government will remain flat for the next two weeks, but will sharply increase after that. President Joe Biden says every American adult who wants the vaccine will have it available between now and the end of May.

Aside from increasing the supply of the two-dose vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, Biden announced Wednesday the United States will be buying 100 million doses of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

New York's change in the age criteria to include people 60 and older added about 500,000 state residents to the estimated 10 million deemed eligible to get a vaccine. The original group included health care workers, police, firefighters, teachers, people at high-risk, restaurants workers and others.

A medical worker prepared to administer a COVID-19 shot at...

A medical worker prepared to administer a COVID-19 shot at a mass vaccination site at York College in Queens. Credit: Don Pollard

'They're coming in...'

Tom D'Angelo, who runs home infusion pharmacy Americare in Garden City South, said Wednesday he was hearing from a larger pool of eligible people.

"They're coming in and asking for appointments," said D'Angelo, who added that people should stop at Americare to get on an appointment list.

D'Angelo also operates Franklin Square Pharmacy in Franklin Square but said "the two locations are only a half-mile apart, so we ask everyone interested to go to the Garden City South location" to schedule appointments.

Stop & Shop pharmacy locations "are now accepting appointments for teachers and members of the population age 60+, and we are seeing a high volume of interest," said Jennifer Brogan, director of external communications at the supermarket.

CVS spokeswoman Tara Burke said that as eligibility expands, "one of our greatest strengths is our presence in communities across the country, making us an ideal partner for administering vaccines in a safe, convenient and inclusive manner."

Burke added that as vaccine supply increases, CVS will add additional locations and open up more appointments.

Officials also announced on Wednesday they will raise the cap on indoor dining to 75% across the state and 50% in New York City, starting on March 19. The indoor dining limit had been set at 35% of capacity in the city and 50% elsewhere in the state.

The state reported a slight decrease in virus positivity in test results from Tuesday.

The seven-day average was 3.11% statewide, with a level of 4.25% on Long Island, still one of the highest for regions in the state.

The state's daily positivity rate was 3.16% from 205,616 test results processed Tuesday.

The number of new confirmed cases In results Tuesday was 577 in Nassau, 598 in Suffolk and 3,420 in New York City.

Statewide 58 people died Tuesday of causes related to the virus, including four in Nassau and two in Suffolk.

As COVID-19 numbers stabilize, visitors will once again be allowed to see inmates at the Suffolk County Correctional Facility in Riverhead starting March 23, Suffolk County Sheriff Errol D. Toulon Jr. said Wednesday.

Visitations will be limited to noncontact, 30-minute sessions, and masks will be required.

Visitations were initially canceled on March 16, 2020, and resumed on June 30. They were again canceled on Nov. 21.

Greg Brennan, a teacher and basketball coach at Southside High...

Greg Brennan, a teacher and basketball coach at Southside High School in Rockville Centre, was vaccinated for COVID-19 by nurse Abigail Fromm Friday at a clinic operated by Mount Sinai South Nassau. He received the first of two Moderna vaccines. Credit: AP/Mark Lennihan

State: 20% of New Yorkers got shots

Cuomo said 143,592 vaccines were administered in the state in the last 24 hours. Statewide, a total of 5,941,072 vaccines have been administered since December.

Across New York 19.9% of the population has received at least one shot, and 9.8% have received two shots or are fully vaccinated.

In Nassau, County Executive Laura Curran said Wednesday hospitalizations have decreased 48% over the past 5 weeks, and the county is down to 429 COVID-19 hospitalizations across its 11 hospitals.

In Nassau, 24.9% of residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine: 337,787 who’ve had one dose, and 179,722 who’ve completed their vaccinations.

"We’re ready to take it to the next level, significantly, in Nassau County," Curran said, referring to new vaccine sites opening in Nassau.

County run sites will be able to vaccinate all eligible residents starting March 17.

In Suffolk, 19.2% of residents have gotten at least one dose of the vaccine, adding up to 284,678, according to state figures. Of those, 143,826 have completed their vaccinations.

GETTING COVID-19 VACCINES IN NY

Who qualifies for COVID-19 shots?

The State of New York has expended its eligibility list for vaccines against COVID-19 several times, expanding the groups of people included in the phases. This is a summary of the eligible groups. The following are the qualifying categories, as revised on March 29.

Group in Phase 1A

The state said about 2.1 million state residents belong in this group, including:

  • Health care workers at hospitals who interact with patients.
  • Residents and staff at nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
  • Dentists, psychologists and others deemed health care workers with direct contact with patients.
  • Employees of Federally Qualified Health Centers.
  • EMT volunteers and staff.
  • Coroners, medical examiners, some funeral workers.
  • Staff and residents of state facilities for people with developmental disabilities, mental health care and addiction services.
  • Employees at urgent care centers.
  • Individuals administering COVID-19 vaccines, including local health department staff.
  • Staff at ambulatory centers.
  • Home care and hospice workers.
  • Residents and staff at other congregate care facilities.

Group in Phase 1B

The state estimated about 3.2 million residents belong in this group, including:

  • People 75 years of age and older.
  • Teachers and education workers, including in-person college instructors, substitute teachers, student teachers, school administrators, paraprofessional staff, support staff, contractors in schools and bus drivers.
  • First responders, including police; firefighters; state police; sheriff’s offices; county, town and village police departments, and other law enforcement offices.
  • Public safety workers, including dispatchers and technicians.
  • Public transit workers, including airport, railroad, subway, bus, ferry and Port Authority employees.
  • Corrections officers.
  • Other sworn and civilian personnel, such as court and peace officers.
  • Grocery store workers dealing with the public.
  • Individuals living in homeless shelters.

Following federal recommendations:

Added at the discretion of local governments:

  • Taxi drivers.
  • Restaurant workers.
  • Residents of facilities for developmentally disabled people.
  • Hotel workers who interact with the public.

Other expansions of eligibility:

  • State residents age 60 and older (Since March 10, 2021).
  • “Public-facing” government and public employees (Since March 17, 2021).
  • Workers for not-for-profit organizations who provide “public-facing” services (Since March 17, 2021).
  • Building service workers who are “public-facing” employees (Since March 17, 2021).
  • State residents age 50 and older (Since March 23, 2021).

Since March 30, 2021:

Since April 6, 2021:

SOURCE: New York State, Northwell Health.

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