LIU poll: Majority say U.S. has seen worst of pandemic
Poll: 53% say worst days of pandemic are past
Molloy nursing student Ana Quintanilla vaccinates Gabriela Procel of Lynbrook at Molloy College April 29. Credit: Danielle Silverman
The LIU poll, conducted earlier this month by the university's Steven S. Hornstein Center for Policy, Polling and Analysis, surveyed more than 1,600 adults nationwide. A clear majority — 53% — contend that the worst days of the pandemic are in the rearview mirror, up from 42% in April and 25% in February.
Two-thirds of Republican respondents offered confidence that the worst days of the pandemic are done, while half of independents and 47% of Democrats shared the same opinion, Newsday's Robert Brodsky writes.
"As more states continue to reach their COVID-19 vaccination goals, we anticipate optimism that the worst of the pandemic is over will continue to increase based on our polling trends," said the Hornstein Center's director, Andy Person.
He said a driving factor for those who contend that the worst of the pandemic has not passed was a personal concern over someone in their family contracting COVID-19 and becoming seriously ill.
The number of new positives reported today: 22 in Nassau, 18 in Suffolk, 133 in New York City and 260 statewide.
The chart below tracks how many patients are currently hospitalized for coronavirus each day in New York State.
The most recent figure at far right is 486 hospitalizations. Credit: Newsday
Search a map of new cases and view charts showing the latest local trends in testing, hospitalizations, deaths and more.
Officials: Program to combat drug abuse re-energized
Victor Ciappa, of Massapequa, speaks about the loss of his daughter during a news conference in Mineola Tuesday. Credit: Chris Ware
With the COVID-19 threat waning, Nassau officials are "re-energizing and reengaging" in Operation Natalie, a multipronged assault on opioid use, to combat a disturbing spike in fatal drug overdoses, County Executive Laura Curran and Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder announced Tuesday.
The pandemic halted ongoing efforts to educate young people and other residents about the dangers of opioid abuse, get users treatment and arrest drug dealers, Curran and Ryder said during a news conference outside Nassau police headquarters in Mineola.
Nassau officials told Newsday in April that there were 287 projected fatal overdoses last year, including 60 not yet cleared by the medical examiner's office. That is a 34.1% jump over 2019, when 214 overdose deaths were reported. There were 204 fatal overdoses in 2018 and 234 in 2017.
"We were winning the battle," Ryder said. "We were reducing our numbers. And then COVID hit and we lost our way."
Operation Natalie is named after Natalie Ciappa, a Massapequa teen who died 13 years ago on Monday from a fatal overdose, Newsday's Michael O'Keeffe reports.
LI's struggling landlords: Surviving the moratorium on evictions
As New York gets back to normalcy after a 15-month pandemic lockdown, many are still hurting from its economic impact — including tenants who have lost jobs and landlords who depend on them for their rental income.
The state's moratorium on evictions — which has been extended to Aug. 31 — helps tenants and landlords for now but isn't a panacea for unpaid rent when it comes due.
"Tenants need to clearly understand that there is no automatic rent waiver here, as a result of COVID-19, but rather there is a deferment on the payment of rent, only, as a result of the current eviction moratorium," notes Jaime Ezratty, an attorney with Horing, Welikson Rosen & Digrugilliers of Williston Park. "There will be a time when the rent will be able to be collected by the landlords."
Meanwhile, struggling landlords must deal with the increased financial pressure. That is a problem for property owners — big and small — who still must pay their mortgages, real estate taxes, and other expenses on their homes, regardless of whether their tenants pay their rent, Ezratty notes.
Arlene Gross presents some advice on how landlords can cope in this piece.
In real estate, 'less is more' is so 2019
Ashley Farrell at the Corcoran office in Westhampton Beach. Credit: Morgan Campbell
Ashley Farrell has a new mantra, "adapt and overcome." The philosophy has guided her throughout the pandemic.
Farrell's business shut down from March until June 2020. The associate real estate broker for Corcoran in Westhampton Beach says her first instinct was damage control. "What did I need to do to stay afloat?"
Like real estate salespeople across Long Island, she had to find a way to meet the needs of her clients without in-person showings. There was a major obstacle. "How to show real estate without getting in the home?"
Her solution was to teach clients how to create videos and to collaborate on putting together virtual tours. She relied on her clients' homemade cellphone videos as "showings."
Farrell, who hasn't been to a closing in person in over a year, says the pandemic completely changed her business. Without a deep dive into technology it would have struggled to survive. Check out Sheryl Nance-Nash's Q&A with her.
More to know
The White House acknowledged Tuesday that President Joe Biden will fall short of reaching his goal of vaccinating 70% of all American adults with at least one shot by July 4.
Deaths among Medicare patients in nursing homes soared by 32% in 2020, with two devastating spikes eight months apart, a government watchdog reported Tuesday in the most comprehensive look yet at the ravages of COVID-19 among its most vulnerable victims.
Nassau officials said they have asked the U.S. Treasury Department whether the county can spend $100 million in federal pandemic aid to provide cash payments of $375 to individual households with incomes of up to $500,000.
News for you
The General gyro, stuffed with with four kinds of shaved meat and fries. Credit: Newsday / Corin Hirsch
It's authentic. Maybe you felt silly the first time you tried to say gyro the way it's pronounced in Greek: yee-ro, which means "turning" or "spinning." The owners of a new spot in St. James decided to just roll with it, literally: brothers Dimitrios and John Koukounis recently opened yērōs authentically greek, and the place is filled with the aromas of roasting fat, garlic and herbs from the spit-roasted meats spinning in the kitchen.
A busy Wednesday on Newsday Live. At noon, Nassau and Suffolk's health commissioners return for "Long Island, Unmasked," to answer questions. At 8 p.m., it's an evening of music and conversation with Blues Hall of Famer Bobby Rush. Register for either event here.
Things to do on Long Island. We have ideas to get you planning, including the Huntington Summer Arts Festival.
Plus: There will be a Strawberry Supermoon in the Long Island night sky later this week. That doesn't mean a giant red berry hovering over Nassau and Suffolk, of course.
Sign up for text messages to get the most important coronavirus news and information.
Commentary
The U.S. Small Business Administration headquarters in Washington. Credit: Alamy / Todd Bannor
Loan fraud hurt LI businesses. The Newsday editorial board writes: Long Island's small businesses were desperate for help as the pandemic took hold. For many, such help was hard to come by.
In some cases, loans and grants were denied, or applications weren't processed properly or came through after funds were exhausted. Some of the region's restaurants, shops and businesses couldn't survive and have since closed.
But criminals found success where legitimate business owners could not. The egregious, rampant fraud found in the Small Business Administration's Economic Injury Disaster Loan program is deeply disturbing — in its scope, in the ease with which it occurred, and in the impact it has had. Keep reading.
