New goal: Vaccinating 70% of Americans by July 4
New Biden goal comes as demand for shots has slipped
Molloy College nursing student Cassidy Hansen, 20, vaccinates fellow student Nicolle Lopez, 18, of Lynbrook, during a vaccination event at the Rockville Centre school on Thursday. Credit: Danielle Silverman
President Joe Biden is setting the new vaccination goal as the administration pushes to make it easier for people to get shots and move toward normalcy.
The new goal, which also includes fully vaccinating 160 million adults by Independence Day, comes as demand for vaccines has dropped off markedly nationwide, with some states leaving more than half their vaccine doses unordered.
Biden will call for states to make vaccines available on a walk-in basis and will direct many pharmacies to do the same, and his administration is for the first time moving to shift doses from states with weaker demand to areas with stronger interest.
More than 56% of adult Americans have received at least one dose of a vaccine, and the U.S. is administering first doses at a rate of about 965,000 per day — half the rate of three weeks ago, but almost twice as fast as needed to meet Biden's target. Read more.
Plus: The FDA is expected to authorize Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine for young people ages 12 to 15 by next week, officials said.
Stony Brook welcomes back visitors as virus rate slows
Stony Brook University's hospitals are welcoming back visitors on a limited basis beginning Tuesday. Credit: Newsday/Thomas A. Ferrara
The Stony Brook Medicine health care system will allow visitors back at their hospitals on a limited basis starting Tuesday, officials said, as COVID-19 rates continue to drop.
Hospital visits were banned in the early days of the pandemic in an effort to stop the spread. See the new guidelines.
"We know visitors and loved ones play an essential role in the healing and recovery process of our patients, and we look forward to welcoming them once again," Stony Brook Medicine officials said in a statement.
Meanwhile, New York reported its lowest COVID-19-related daily death toll since March, and the statewide seven-day average positivity rate on Monday was 1.76%, the lowest figure since Nov. 5, according to state data. The level on Long Island was 1.74%, while New York City registered 1.65%.
The number of new positives reported today: 132 in Nassau, 148 in Suffolk, 832 in New York City and 2,173 statewide.
The chart below shows the number of new cases confirmed in Nassau and Suffolk counties this month.
This chart shows the number of new virus cases confirmed each day.
Search a map of new cases and view more charts showing the latest local trends in vaccinations, testing, hospitalizations, deaths and more.
Black, Latino Long Islanders getting vaccinated at lower rates, data shows
Maidaya Maldonado, operations director of Adelante of Suffolk County, said the state, county and Northwell Health have been working with her organization and others to help register Latinos for appointments. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
Black and Latino Long Islanders are getting vaccinated at significantly lower rates than other residents — but the gap is narrowing, according to state data examined by Newsday. Health experts predict a continued reduction in disparities now that vaccine appointments are easier to get and walk-ins are available.
At the root of the gap are the first months of vaccinations, when competition for appointments was fierce and those with fast, stable internet access, computer savvy, abundant free time and an ability and willingness to drive long distances had the upper hand, said Sean Clouston, an associate professor of public health at Stony Brook University and an expert on health disparities.
"If you’re an essential worker, and you’re working long hours, or you’ve got a lot of kids, or you’re taking care of people, you can’t sit there for hours a day clicking and clicking" to find appointments, he said.
NY legislators OK bill to extend eviction moratorium
The State Senate and Assembly approved legislation Monday to extend New York’s pandemic-driven moratorium on tenant evictions to Aug. 31.
Voting largely on party lines, the Democratic-controlled legislature lengthened the moratorium by four months. The new deadline now goes beyond a federal moratorium, which runs to June 30.
Extra time is needed, Democrats argued, because of the exceedingly slow pace of distributing federal and state rent relief checks to tenants and landlords.
More to know
The Doobie Brothers onstage at the Nikon Theater at Jones Beach in Wantagh in July 2014. Credit: Randee Daddona
Matchbox Twenty and Doobie Brothers concerts set for Northwell Health at Jones Beach Theater have been moved to summer 2022, originally rescheduled from summer 2020.
Glen Cove has made permanent a pandemic policy that shut down two stretches of downtown streets to allow for outdoor dining six months of the year.
Estee Lauder Companies Inc. shares tumbled Monday and the company said in its earnings report the pandemic "continued to disrupt" its operations with retail store closures, less consumer traffic and fewer opportunities to wear makeup.
Henry Schein Inc. has reported a 20.4% increase in first quarter revenue driven by strength in sales of dental products as patients return after COVID-19 slowdowns.
News for you
Alison Omens, left, and Cat Guerriere, both of Greenport, do lunges down the rows at an outdoor fitness class at Mattabella Vineyard in Southold on April 17. Credit: Morgan Campbell
Take your workout classes outside. Many workout classes had been moved outdoors last year because of the pandemic, and some fitness experts are continuing the trend this summer in unique locations around Long Island. You can do yoga in vineyard vines, Pilates on a cliff or have a workout on a paddleboard. Here are some options.
A North Fork foodie tour. You can spend an entire afternoon making stops along the North Fork. Find locally produced ice cream, hard cider, charcuterie and lavender honey at these spots, from Riverhead to Orient and stops in between.
Pregnancy and the vaccine. Some expectant mothers and woman in childbearing years are still torn about the COVID-19 vaccine. Medical experts discuss it in the next Newsday Live webinar at noon on Wednesday. Register here and find out how to submit your questions.
Plus: The state tax department is offering free virtual help in filing tax returns for those with adjusted gross income of $72,000 or less last year, officials said. Get the details.
Sign up for text messages to get the most important coronavirus news and information.
Commentary
The Javits Center in Manhattan as a mass COVID-19 vaccination site in January. Credit: Sputnik via AP
Standing taller as a nation. Columnist William F. B. O’Reilly writes for Newsday Opinion: I got my second COVID-19 shot this week and didn’t cry at all. The whole thing went so smoothly you’d swear we’ve become good at this.
National Guard troops and health care workers marked the path to a private injection room. They may have said thank you along the way more often than I did, which was plenty. Imagine that.
I’m smitten with one young National Guard soldier from my first trip for the Pfizer vaccine. It was her job to allow entry to those in line after asking if they’d been out of state in the last 10 days. She must have seen me doing math in my head, because, ever so surreptitiously, she met my eyes with a look that insisted I had not. We’re all in this together.
It takes America a while to gear up in a crisis, but once we get humming, we’re quite an operation. Keep reading.
Erin Serpico is an assistant web producer who joined Newsday in November 2018. Originally from New Jersey, she now covers community events and produces local content for newsday.com while also helping run the homepage.
