COVID Vaccine Boosters Now Available In NYC

NEW YORK CITY — New Yorkers newly eligible to receive Pfizer coronavirus vaccine boosters can get their shots whenever they're ready, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Friday.

De Blasio's announcement followed a decision by CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky to open boosters to older and vulnerable Americans.

Boosters should be offered to people 65 and older, nursing home residents and those ages 50 to 64 who have risky underlying health problems, Walensky and federal advisers recommended. People ages 18 to 64 years and are health-care workers or have another job that puts them at increased risk of being exposed to the virus can also get boosters, Walensky found.

City-run vaccination sites are ready for those eligible New Yorkers, either by appointment or walk-in, de Blasio said.

“You can walk in today to any of those city-run sites if you’re in those categories,” de Blasio said.

Approving an extra, third dose for people six months out from their last Pfizer shot marks a new phase in the U.S. vaccination drive against COVID-19.

President Joe Biden praised the CDC decision. He said he would get his own booster soon.

“It’s hard to acknowledge I’m over 65, but I’ll be getting my booster shot," Biden said. "It’s a bear, isn’t it?”

New Yorkers can sign up for their third dose here.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.