Vaccination, Testing and More COVID-19 Info

Note: This section was last updated 8/20/21

How to Get Vaccinated 

  • All individuals 12 years of age and older that reside in the United States are eligible to receive the vaccine. This NY State Website provides up-to-date information on vaccine distribution and information for New Yorkers with compromised immune systems.

  • All individuals eligible above should be vaccinated. Documentation status will not be checked. 

  • How to sign up:

    • In New York City, the easiest thing to do is call the NYC Vaccination Hotline at 877-VAX-4NYC. They offer scheduling in English, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, French, Haitian Creole, Japanese and they can connect speakers of other languages to translation services. More information about the hotline can be found online.

    • In the rest of New York state, the easiest thing to do is call the NY State Vaccination Hotline at: 833-697-4829

    • NYC Vaccine Finder is a site that pulls together information about who has open slots. You can look for vaccines in your area by searching with your zip code.

Please share this information with friends and neighbors! The vaccination process has been confusing and spreading information allows all of us to help protect vulnerable neighbors and invest in our communities. Those not yet eligible to be vaccinated can help out by securing an appointment for a family member, loved one, or neighbor. 

Free At-home Covid Tests:

Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order 4 free at-⁠home COVID-⁠19 tests. Get yours now here.

Additional COVID information: 

Support During the COVID-19 School Shutdown

BEAM is thinking of all of you during the schools shutdown. We hope you are home, healthy, and safe and we encourage you to remain home to help your loved ones and community stay safe as well. We are collecting resources and next steps below. This page will be continuously updated whenever we have new information.

additional opportunities

The most important thing you can do right now is to set up a MySchools account with the NYC DOE. You can do so here. (8th and 9th graders: you already have this from applying to high school. But log in and make sure your account works and that it’s sending emails to the correct place!)

Here are some other key things we want you to know, separated into categories:

+ COVID-19 Updates & Testing

  • Get updates: Get the latest COVID-19 news from New York State here. Sign up for smartphone alerts from New York City by texting COVID to 692692.
  • Stay up to date on tools, resources, and supports made necessary during this time. WhileAtHome is a clearinghouse for credible information and action steps.
  • FEMA plans on reimbursing low-income families up to $7000 for funeral costs associated with COVID deaths incurred in 2020. More information to come.
  • Read Chalkbeat’s Frequently Asked Questions about the school closure, including info on state tests.
  • Making and wearing face coverings: To slow the spread of the coronavirus, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is recommending that everyone wear face coverings when in public places where it is difficult to maintain social distance (like grocery stores and pharmacies).
    • How to make, wear, and clean a mask (sew and no-sew patterns)
    • How to make a mask (sew by hand)
    • A NOTE OF CAUTION: Some have expressed concern that for people of color, covering their faces in public may cause them to be treated with suspicion, or the use of certain bandanas could be wrongly associated with gang activity, putting them in danger. (For more about why people of color, particularly Black males, may feel unsafe covering their faces in public, see articles here and here.)
  • New York City testing: Learn about community testing sites in all 5 boroughs operated by NYC Health + Hospitals. If you have COVID-19 symptoms or have been in contact with a confirmed COVID-19 patient, testing is free and no appointment is necessary. Testing for essential workers and vulnerable populations is also available by appointment.
  • COVID-19 Rapid Testing is now available at locations throughout the city. Learn more here.
  • Drive-through testing is now available by appointment in New Rochelle, Coney Island, Queens, Staten Island, the Bronx (see below) and Jones Beach-Long Island. Tests are free regardless of insurance or immigration status. The drive-thru sites are by appointment only. To make an appointment, call the New York State COVID-19 hotline at 888-364-3065. Walk-in testing sites in New York City are planned.
  • Bronx-based mobile testing center: The Bronx now has a mobile testing center located in Co-Op City, at the Bay Plaza AMC Theater parking lot, 2210 Bartow Avenue. The site will prioritize tests for individuals that are among the highest risk population. Residents who want to be tested must make an appointment by calling (888) 364-3065. There will be no walk-ins allowed and all patients must be in a vehicle. The center is open Monday - Sunday, 8am - 6pm.

+ Accessing Housing, Benefits, and Financial Support

  • COVID Rent Relief Program: Funding is currently available to New York City households who are behind in rent through the New York State Emergency Rental Assistance Program. Find the application here or call the hotline at 1-844-691-7368. Find community based organizations that can help you apply here.
  • Applying for unemployment benefits: Make the Road NY has step by step instructions on how to apply for unemployment in English and Spanish.
  • Cash assistance: The Temporary Aid to Needy Families Program is offering cash assistance to New York City parents or guardians living and caring for at least one child. Eligibility requirements include homelessness, payments to maintain or restore your utilities, and other impediments that can impact you or your family's health and safety. Create an account and apply here. Learn more about eligibility requirements here.
  • Housing access: New York is committed to making sure you do not have to worry about where you live during this shutdown. Eviction proceedings and pending eviction orders have been suspended statewide until further notice. You can read more here.
  • Cooling Assistance Benefit: New York City offers cooling assistance to help families buy and install an air conditioner or fan every 5 years. Learn more about how it works and apply here.
  • For residents of the Bronx: The website Help for the Bronx offers a comprehensive list of resources for students, business owners, and everyone in the community.
  • Bronx Impact Call Center: Call Bronx Impact’s call center at 646-762-7483 (8AM-5PM) for support with housing, finding food near your home, employment assistance, legal support, childcare, healthcare, transit support, etc. Languages available include English, Spanish, Fulani, Albanian, and Cantonese. Visit their website here.
  • Legal tools for tenants: JustFix.nyc provides assistance from attorneys for tenants whose landlords aren’t making repairs and/or are cutting off essential services. Assistance also available at Housing Court Answers hotline: 212-962-4795 (M-F, 9AM-5PM).
  • Enrichment centers: First responders, health care workers, transit workers, food, grocery, restaurant, takeout and delivery workers, pharmacy workers, residential and commercial building staff, and other key personnel can drop off their children for daily care, meals, remote learning, and more. Open 7:30AM-6PM Mon-Fri. Sites in every borough. Learn more and register here.
  • Benefits: How to access unemployment, SNAP, and other benefits, including programs for restaurant workers, formerly incarcerated individuals, home care workers, the Black community, and free grocery delivery for at-risk populations.
  • Apply for government benefits: Apply for SNAP, Cash Assistance, Medicaid, Fair Fare NYC here.
  • Financial support: Different organizations have set up systems to provide emergency assistance for specific groups of people.
    • Learn about paid sick leave for COVID-19 impacted New Yorkers.
    • For professional musicians (of at least 5 years), who’ve lost money from COVID-19, apply to the Musicians Foundation.
    • Arts and entertainment workers: Union and non-union workers in the performing arts and entertainment industry are eligible for a one-time, need-based financial assistance. Apply here.
    • Business owners: if you own a small business you can apply to the federal government for low-interest loans.
    • Restaurant workers:
      • The Southern Smoke Foundation is offering free funding specifically to workers who lost their jobs in the food and beverage industry because of the pandemic. Learn more about application requirements and apply here.
      • Children of Restaurant Employees is offering financial assistance to coronavirus-stricken food and beverage workers and their kids. Medical bills and proof of residence is required. Those who believe they qualify can go here.
    • Bartenders: USBG has an emergency assistance program for bartenders who’ve worked in the field for at least a year.
    • For anyone who is unemployed as a result of a disaster, but is not eligible for state unemployment, the federal government has disaster unemployment assistance. You can find the details here.
  • Health insurance: New York City offers free or affordable health insurance plans to New Yorkers, regardless of immigration status. The state’s Qualified Health Plans is offering affordable plans through the state Department of Health through August 15th. Insurance enrollment services are available by visiting the city Health Department site, by calling 311, or by texting CoveredNYC to 877-877 to start the process.
  • Get legal help: The non-profit Legal Services NYC has a legal assistance hotline: 917-661-4500, Monday-Friday, 10AM-4PM (assistance available in many languages). Call with questions about court appearances, evictions, mortgage and tax lien sale relief, public assistance, economic impact payments under the CARES Act, unemployment insurance, utility shut-offs, and more. More information here.

+ Food & Groceries

  • Free meals for ALL New Yorkers: Any New Yorker who wants one can get three free meals a day at more than 400 Meal Hubs across the city. Pick up 7:30AM - 1:30PM Monday - Friday at more than 400 NYC sites. Find locations here. Find locations with Kosher meals here.
  • NYC food delivery assistance: The City of New York is providing assistance to New Yorkers during the COVID-19 crisis by delivering meals to those who cannot access food themselves. Find out more here.
  • Community Fridges: Community-led, free-food refrigerators provide food for anyone to take. Find a community fridge near you here.
  • Reserve food at local food pantries: Pick up a bag of groceries at the local food pantry. Text FOOD to 726879 to sign up via chatbot. The app is in 9 languages and includes 170 pantries across all 5 boroughs. View a map of food pantries here.
  • Locate a local food bank: Food Bank for New York City and City Harvest. View all soup kitchen and food pantry locations by borough here.
  • SNAP Benefits for online grocery shopping: SNAP Benefits can now be used to shop online for fresh produce and groceries. Read more here.
  • Expensify is devoting all its charitable funds to match SNAP grocery purchases up to $50 per family. Find out how you can get reimbursed here.
  • In addition to free meals provided at schools near you, restaurants around the city may also be providing free food. Please check out this map for restaurant updates.

+ Tutoring Support

  • AP Online Review Lessons: College Board is providing free AP Online Review Lessons for their new AP test on Youtube. The AP Online Lessons can be viewed live or on-demand. The videos can be found here.
  • NYPL Tutoring: The New York Public Library is offering free tutoring in any subject from 2-11pm daily. You can find instructions and details here. You will need a public library card, but you can sign up for one on the website.

+ Free Online Learning Resources

  • Online math resources from Brilliant.org: Brilliant.org has generously offered FREE premium accounts to BEAM students. The website is full of great math puzzles and games that really fit well with the stuff we learn at BEAM. Here’s how you sign up:
    • Go to brilliant.org and click "Start free trial" to create an account.
    • After you create an account, you will be asked what you do. Select "Student."
    • You will get a screen with a window that says, "Start your 7-Day free trial.” Click the X to close that message. Otherwise, you will be asked for payment information, which you do not need to provide.
    • Fill out this Google form with the email address you used to create your account.
  • Music production software: Logic Pro X and Ableton are offering free 90-day subscriptions.

+ Technology / Internet

  • iPads for students: The New York City Department of Education wants to make sure every student who needs one has a device to learn remotely. To help students stay connected during emergencies, they are lending internet-enabled iPads to support remote learning. To request a device, call (718) 935-5100 (press 5), or fill out this form (available in English, Español, 中文, বাংলা, Русский, العربية اردو, বাংলা, 한국어, Français).
  • Internet access: Several providers are offering free/low cost internet service.
    • For low-income households:
    • Public WiFi hotspots open to everyone: Xfinity, Spectrum, and AT&T.
    • Many cell phone service providers have lifted data caps. Check with your provider for more information.

+ Holistic and Mental Health Support

  • BEAM Virtual Group: BEAM is creating a space for students to discuss, react, and ask questions about what they've been going through since the COVID-19 outbreak, closing down of schools and potential changes going on in their home lives. Sign up here.
  • Help with mental health: New Yorkers can call the COVID-19 Emotional Support Hotline at 1-844-863-9314 for mental health counseling.
  • Free mental health coverage is available through the ThriveNYC program. Learn more by clicking here or calling (800) 543-3638.
  • How to talk to children about COVID-19: Resources for discussing COVID-19 with children, teaching and explaining social distancing, and books and activities to help manage kids’ worries. You can find the details here.

Need something else? Contact your year leader or email our whole team: nycinfo@beammath.org While we can’t promise to be able to help with all inquiries, we will do our absolute best to connect you with the services you need.

PLEASE NOTE: BEAM has moved all in-person events online through the end of August 2021.