People wait in a line stretching inside the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on midtown Manhattan's west side, to receive a dose of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine at the site which has been converted into a mass vaccination center in New York
New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said he would lower the age for vaccine eligibility to 60 years old starting on March 10 as the state ramps up its vaccine campaign.
The governor said the state will also open up vaccine eligibility to public employees and nonprofit emergency workers as of March 17. Public-facing building workers will also be eligible, he said in a Tuesday virus briefing.
"They are essential for us to continue operating,” he said.
New York has administered nearly 6 million doses of the vaccine so far, Cuomo said. Previously eligibility was open to people age 65 and older.
Cuomo, 63, said he would personally make an appointment to take the vaccine now that his age group will be eligible
