Vaccine Eligibility Expands to Individuals Aged 30+ and 16+
Governor Cuomo announced yesterday that New Yorkers age 30 or older are eligible for vaccination beginning today, and all New Yorkers age 16 or older will be eligible beginning April 6. No conditions were placed upon eligibility beyond the age of the individual. The 'Am I Eligible screening tool was updated Tuesday morning to reflect the expanded eligibility, and will be updated again next week to include the 16+ cohort.
COVID-19 Toolkit for People with Disabilities
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed a helpful COVID-19 toolkit for people with disabilities. The toolkit includes several guidance documents, videos and frequently asked questions (FAQs) to help people with disabilities and caregivers make decisions, protect their health, and communicate with their communities.
Executive Order 202.98
Governor Cuomo signed Executive Order 202.98 on March 21, extending the provisions of Executive Order 202 and each successor Executive Order to 202, including those that provide the extensions of flexibility on criminal background checks (CBC) and abbreviated trainings. The flexibility is now extended through April 20, 2021.
We are confirming with the Office for People With Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD) that the flexibility afforded in OPWDD's interim guidance on CBC and trainings is also extended. As a reminder, we detailed these guidance documents in our August 6 COVID-19 Update.
DOH Updated Hospital Visitation Guidance
The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) issued updated guidance on hospital visitation. Beginning April 1, patients may have up to two visitors at a time for up to four hours per day. The previous guidance only allowed for one visitor a day.
The updated guidance continues to include language allowing patients with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (I/DD) to have one support staff with them through the duration of the hospitalization. The update allows a second person to be present as a visitor during hospital-designated visiting hours.
Please share this with all stakeholders who are responsible for coverage during a person's hospitalization, and those interested in visitation.
