ALBANY, N.Y.(NEWS10)— An Executive order has been extended for another 30 days, allowing New Yorkers who want the updated COVID-19 shot to get it.
“Anybody who is 18 and over can probably get their COVID ccine without too much trouble,” explained Steve Moore, a pharmacist at Condo Pharmacy in Plattsburgh.
He shared that children can get vaccinated too.
“Kids do remain eligible,” said Moore. “That is something I believe most of us will be doing with a written order from a physician. So I should say, even though the governor has worked on what’s called a standing order, which means someone could pretty much walk into a pharmacy to get theses prescriptions, you can always talk to a doctor for that. That’s going to remove a lot of the ambiguity.”
According to the Governor Hochul’s office, the vaccine hasn’t been made available through the federally funded Vaccines for Children Program— something she wants the Trump Administration to change.
New York State’s Health Commissioner, Dr. James McDonald released a statement saying, “As we call on the federal government to make this vaccine available through the Vaccines for Children program, the Department will keep working to remove barriers and protect families’ access to lifesaving immunization.”
Now that Rite Aid has closed all of its locations, other pharmacies have been busy filling more prescriptions. Vinny Chiffy, Owner of Parkway Drugs in Utica, shares this advice for those wanting to get vaccinated.
“If they are going to a pharmacy that’s really far behind, maybe give them a call ahead of time before they go down there and say is my appointment going to be okay? Should I wait? At least give them a heads up that you’ll be down for the vaccine,” said Chiffy.
According to the New York State Department of Health, as of October 3rd, hospitalizations for COVID are declining in New York State, with a current weekly average of 0.37 per 100,000 persons.
The Department encourages New Yorkers to stay current on COVID-19 vaccinations, test when displaying symptoms, avoid close contact with others and seek treatment early, if testing positive.
Want more insights? Join Working Title - our career elevating newsletter and get the future of work delivered weekly.
