New York Urges Residents to Get COVID-19 Shots, Joins Regional Health Coalition

New York state released its COVID-19 vaccine guidance on Thursday, advising residents to get their shots no matter what the national vaccine guidance may be.

State health officials recommends COVID vaccination for children 6 months to 18 years old, all adults, and individuals at higher risk, including those who are pregnant, lactating or immunocompromised. The guidelines are being released ahead of this week’s federal Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting, where national vaccine recommendations will be reviewed and voted on.

"Vaccines remain one of the strongest tools we have to safeguard our families and our communities,” Governor Kathy Hochul said. “As Washington continues to launch its misguided attacks on science, New York is making it clear that every resident will have access to the COVID vaccine, no exceptions."

The guidance also aligns with consensus COVID-19 recommendations agreed upon by the Northeast Public Health Collaborative, a group of several northeastern states and municipalities that was announced Thursday. The group, a voluntary coalition of public health agencies and leaders who will share expertise, improve coordination, enhance capacity, strengthen regional readiness, and promote and protect evidence-based public health, consists of New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island and New York City.

The recommendations announced yesterday are consistent with the Fall 2025 COVID-19 vaccination guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology, and the American Academy of Family Physicians, Hochul said. 

Earlier this month, the governor signed an executive order allowing state pharmacists to administer the COVID-19 vaccine. 

“Vaccines save lives, and this guidance ensures every New Yorker from our youngest children to those at highest risk has safe, reliable access to the COVID vaccine," said New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald. "We are standing firm on our commitment to protecting the health of every New Yorker.”

Meanwhile, a vaccine advisory committee on Thursday recommended the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adopt new restrictions on a combination shot that protects against chickenpox as well as measles, mumps and rubella, according to the Associated Press. 

The panel advised that the vaccine known as MMRV not be given before age 4 and that children in this age group instead get separate vaccines — one against MMR and another for varicella, or chickenpox. The vote was 8-3, with one member abstaining, the AP reported.

The committee makes recommendations to the CDC director on how already-approved vaccines should be used. CDC directors have almost always accepted those recommendations, which have been widely heeded by doctors and guide vaccination programs in the past.