Universal vaccine eligibility in New York begins Tuesday Anyone over the age of 16 will be eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in New York State starting Tuesday at 8 a.m. Author: Leanne Stuck Updated: 11:12 PM EDT April 5, 2021 NEW YORK — Gov. Andrew Cuomo held a conference call with reporters Monday afternoon, discussing the latest COVID-19 data across New York State. According to the governor, the Western New York region currently has the highest seven-day average percentage of positive test results in New York. As of Sunday, the region had a percent positive rate of 4.7 percent, which is up from 4.44 percent on Saturday.