Nick Reisman is reporting for State of Politics AARP New York is urging state officials to develop a plan for COVID-19 vaccinations of older homebound people, in a letter to Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo this month. The AARP push comes as the state is opening vaccine eligibility to a wider pool of people. People age 30 and older qualified on March 30; all New Yorkers age 16 and older will be eligible on April 6. However, traveling for a vaccine dose can be a burden to older residents who are homebound and especially vulnerable to COVID-19. Texas, Florida, and Massachusetts have put homebound vaccination programs in place, according to a March 18 letter made public this week, which urged Cuomo to do the same for New York. “The Cuomo administration has done a good job ensuring that vaccinations are available for adult New Yorkers who are able to get to vaccination sites, but the homebound are not,” said AARP New York State Director Beth Finkel. “And many homebound seniors have medical conditions that make them highly susceptible to COVID. That puts not only them in danger, but also any paid or unpaid caregivers who care for them. County governments in New York have started homebound vaccination programs of their own. In Greene County, the newly approved program is run under the county's EMS office. Read the full story at nystateofpolitics [dot] com.