2nd COVID Booster: Where To Get It In New York

NEW YORK — Anyone age 50 and up, as well as those who are immunocompromised, is eligible to receive a second booster vaccination against COVID-19.

The state Department of Health said you must have received your first booster at least four months ago for you to be eligible.

Adults 18 to 49 years old, who received the single Johnson & Johnson vaccine and immunocompromised New Yorkers 12 and up, are also eligible for an mRNA booster four months after getting the first booster, according to the health department.

Now, the question is, where can you get your free second booster?

There are still state-run sites throughout New York, though they are no longer as plentiful as they were when vaccines were first approved.

Go here to find a location close to you. They include sites in Albany, Suffern, Yonkers, Glen Head and Valhalla.

You may also call the New York State COVID-19 Vaccination Hotline at 1-833-NYS-4-VAX to make an appointment.

Alternatively, you can enter your ZIP code at the Vaccines.gov website and search for pharmacies, hospitals and local health departments that are still offering COVID-19 vaccines.

All this being said, if you haven't yet been vaccinated against COVID-19, you can still get started, and you probably should, according to medical experts.

State health officials said they continue to share the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's recommendation that all eligible adults, adolescents and children 5 years and older get fully vaccinated and receive an initial COVID-19 booster when eligible.

Gov. Kathy Hochul said that the vaccine plus the boosters are the best tools to keep the infection numbers down.

"Getting vaccinated and staying up-to-date with all recommended doses is the most effective way to prevent severe illness and hospitalization," she said, "and move safely forward through this pandemic."