New Yorkers 16 and older now eligible for COVID-19 vaccine

NEW YORK — Tuesday sees the biggest expansion in New York's COVID-19 vaccine eligibility as people ages 16 and older become eligible to get the shot.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo expanded eligibility to 30 and over just last week and announced that people aged 16 to 29 would be eligible starting April 6.

Teens aged 16 and 17 will be limited to receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, since that is the only one that has been authorized for use by people under 18.

Those under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to get the vaccine.

Statewide, the ramped-up vaccination efforts have reached a large percentage of people. The governor's office said one in three New Yorkers have at least one dose of vaccine, while one in five are fully vaccinated.

Cuomo said on Saturday that 1.4 million New Yorkers had been vaccinated in the week prior. On Monday he announced over four million in the state have been fully vaccinated.

COVID-19 vaccines are available at pharmacies and through county and state-run clinics.

None of the available vaccines has yet been approved for people under 16.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.