As of today (April 6), all adults in NYC (16+) are eligible to schedule & receive the COVID-19 vaccine.
And, of course, that means thousands of people will be trying to nab those coveted open appointments at the same time.
Luckily, many savvy New Yorkers have “hacked” the system in a way, or found the most efficient and user-friendly ways of getting an appointment. Of course, you can check the city-run and state-run websites, but these options keep open vaccination sites all in one place instead of having to toggle between different websites, and alert you right when new appointments drop.
We combed through Twitter and other social media channels to share New Yorkers’ tips and tricks; hopefully after trying some of these methods, at least one of them will work for you!
The Google Chrome Incognito Method
(click on Tweet to read full thread of instructions)
If you're in NYC and you're struggling to find a #COVID19 vaccine, use this method. It works. I got an appointment very quickly. I helped a friend get one within 30 minutes using the same method. It shouldn't have to be this way, but it is. So get that shot. 1/10
— Lantz Arroyo 🇵🇷🇯🇲🏴 (@lantzarroyo) March 31, 2021
The Call For An Appointment Method
This method involves calling medical sites administering vaccines who don’t use the online booking systems (click on Tweet to read full thread of instructions):
nyc folks: a lot of COVID vaccine providers are not on the online booking tools, and you have to call to make an appointment.
if you're not seeing any appointments in the usual city/state spots online, may be worth calling these. i'll make this a thread with all the numbers:
— nevona (@nevona) April 1, 2021
And this method utilizes the New York State hotline:
nyc 16+ covid vaccine friends: try calling the state hotline!! at least three people i know were able to schedule in the past 10 min: 1-833-NYS-4-VAX (1-833-697-4829)
— Izzie Ramirez (@IzzieRamirez) April 6, 2021
The Twitter Accounts
@nyc_vaccine: This bot is built by app maker Evan Coleman and Tweets live updates of COVID-19 vaccine appointment availability, using data from the NYC Gov Vaccine Finder.
@nycshotslots: This Twitter account is run by someone who helps with the website NYC Vaccine List (see next paragraph). They Tweet updates about the status of the state vaccine sites and different openings. They also help any seniors or essential workers directly by scheduling their appointments for them over the phone if you DM them.
@MarkLevineNYC: NYC Council Member who often Tweets when new appointments open at different vaccination sites.
@turbovax: Perhaps the most well-known account for creating a much more useful vaccine appointment system (see media profiles here and here), this is also a bot that Tweets available vaccine appointments from city and state-run administration sites. See full website below.
The Websites
TurboVax : See above. If you follow them on Twitter, you will be instantly notified when appointment slots open up.
NYC Vaccine List: This volunteer-run site will help you find an appointment in and around the NYC metro area. “We update availability as quickly as we can, but the data is imperfect. As vaccines are in high demand, supply changes quickly. When in doubt, check the location website for the most current information,” they write. You can also filter for pharmacy availability on this site as well.
NYC Reddit: If you go on the main NYC Reddit page and filter by flair “COVID-19,” you’ll see many New Yorkers often post where they were able to get a vaccine easily, what locations are least crowded, when they see appointments open up, etc.
featured image source: Pexels