Vaccination chaos as more become eligible
Eligible New Yorkers can schedule vaccines; some hit early snags
A syringe of COVID-19 vaccine is prepared at Stony Brook University Hospital in Stony Brook on Dec. 15. Credit: Raychel Brightman
The first-day launch of group "1b" was anything but smooth, according to some officials, as people desperate for their inoculation also reached out to hospitals and government sites listed by the state.
The state had announced today that people who want the vaccine can visit this state website and complete a form to determine if they are eligible and consider options, the state said.
They're supposed to be able to schedule appointments with pharmacies, local health departments and hospitals to get their shots, the state said, though they were instructed to call the locations instead of doing it online.
But pharmacy owners said they were caught by surprise when their businesses were listed on the state website of vaccination locations and that they had to turn away thousands of customers because the state hasn't delivered any doses to them.
The Fairview Pharmacy in Port Jefferson Station was inundated with nearly 700 phone calls by 11 a.m., saw its phone system crash and had 75 people show up — even though the pharmacy had received no doses of the vaccine and just found out Sunday afternoon it would be listed Monday, owner Michael Nastro said.
"It's Armageddon," Nastro said.
Similar scenes of chaos and frustration for those trying to get a vaccine played out in other parts of the state, where some officials said their counties had been overwhelmed by demand.
Search a map of new cases and view charts here showing the latest local trends in testing, hospitalizations, deaths and more.
LI group plans vaccine rollout for minority communities
Northwell Health prepares to administer the vaccine at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park on Dec. 14. Credit: Howard Schnapp
Long Island officials in government, community leaders and clergy are developing strategies to ensure the vaccine gets to minority communities hard hit by the virus as equitably as in other areas.
The Long Island Regional Health Equity Task Force had its first meeting last week and includes about 85 people across Nassau and Suffolk who have been engaged in the effort, said Dr. Deb Salas-Lopez, Northwell Health’s senior vice president for community and population health and chair of the task force.
"We at Northwell Health, because we are a regional hub leader for Long Island, established a sister task force that will work in alignment with the New York State [Equity Vaccine] Task Force for equitable distribution of the vaccine," Salas-Lopez said.
The focus comes at the urging of Cuomo, who said recently: "Part of the state's effort will be a special focus on poorer communities where they don't have those pharmacies, they don't have the hospital, so-called health care deserts, and will be working with health care partners to have pop-up vaccination centers, where we can transport equipment to a church, to a public housing authority, to a community center, and open up a vaccination center."
Another vaccination center opened in Nassau County
A vaccination center opened at the Yes We Can Community Center in Westbury on Saturday. Credit: James Carbone
Nassau County on Saturday opened a new vaccine distribution site in New Cassel. The Town of North Hempstead’s Yes We Can Community Center is the second county-run vaccination center — one at Nassau Community College opened on Tuesday.
It was selected largely because the area surrounding it has many Black and Latino residents, said County Executive Laura Curran.
"This is just the beginning of our effort to ramp up vaccinations, especially by making sure all communities have equitable access, especially those that have been hardest hit by this epidemic: Black and brown communities," Curran said.
Blacks and Latinos in the U.S. are about four times more likely to be hospitalized for COVID-19 than whites and 2.8 times more likely to die from the disease, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
County Health Commissioner Dr. Lawrence Eisenstein said the community center and college were, combined, capable of vaccinating 1,000 people a day if there is a sufficient vaccine supply. Curran said the county would add more sites as vaccinations expand.
Suffolk County's army of contact tracers
Janine Petrowski, a Suffolk County employment counselor seen here at the County Department of Health Services, is among county employees working as case investigators. Credit: Suffolk County Executive’s Office
Suffolk has mobilized more than 600 county employees — including crossing guards and employment counselors — to investigate coronavirus cases.
Employees who normally coordinate land preservation deals, administer film permits and oversee arts grants are spending their workdays, or working overtime on nights and weekends, as case investigators, officials said. In their new role, they reach out to people who recently tested positive, inform them of their results, identify their contacts and inquire about how they may have become infected.
The program has put Suffolk in a better position to handle a surge in cases than in March, when the pandemic began and there were only seven employees investigating new cases, county officials said.
More to know
The Paycheck Protection Program resumes Monday, with federal officials starting to approve applications for the forgivable loans submitted by banks and other private lenders.
Applications for the grant program that helps small restaurants pay for the equipment needed to operate in the winter will be accepted starting Monday, officials said.
House lawmakers may have been exposed to someone testing positive for the virus while they sheltered at an undisclosed location last week during the Capitol siege.
In Cuomo's State of the State address Monday, he sought to turn heartbreak and lessons learned in fighting the pandemic into a call for action while building a better "post-COVID world."
The Broadway musical "Mean Girls" will not restart when authorities allow theaters to reopen in New York City, the second show to become a casualty of COVID-19.
A Manhattan couple allegedly falsified positive virus test results to delay the husband’s drug trial and have been indicted on forgery and other criminal charges, prosecutors said.
Queen Elizabeth II and her husband, Prince Philip, received their COVID-19 vaccinations over the weekend, royal officials said.
News for you
Art League LI instructor Laura Meshover gives pointers on oil painting techniques in her "Oil Painting for Beginner/Intermediate" class. Credit: Zach Krugman
Find socially distant art, cooking, language classes. There's always room for personal enrichment. Dive into a new skill with this easy-to-use guide to classes available on Long Island. Because of COVID-19 restrictions, many of the classes are on Zoom, while others are still in-house but socially distant with masks.
… Or a virtual or in-person fitness class. Gyms and fitness studios are stepping up with online options for people to stay in shape while staying at home. Livestream classes range from cycling, kickboxing and yoga to dancing, Pilates, drumming and beyond. And many are budget-friendly.
Giving restaurant gift cards to food pantries. Barbara Bolen hopes every community on Long Island will steal the idea she had for Northport and East Northport: She's encouraging people to buy a gift card from a Northport restaurant and donate it to food pantries as part of the "Takeout Project."
Plus: Dr. Anthony Fauci answered questions during a Newsday Live conversation last week — and while he couldn't answer them all, local doctors picked up where he left off. Watch them answer questions during our recent webinar.
Sign up for text messages to get the most important coronavirus news and information.
Commentary
Carmela Avena Woods receives a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine at Nassau County Community College on Tuesday. Credit: AP/Kathy Willens
A dose of reality on COVID shots. A Newsday editorial writes: Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s decision to open vaccination distribution to police officers, firefighters, other essential workers and those over the age of 75, in what is called tier "1b," will make sure every dose is used. And it opens the door to more people who are waiting for the vaccines. An anxious public needs more predictability on when they can get the lifesaving protection.
Now, it’s up to the state to provide additional flexibility and tools to county officials who know what their communities need and are nimble enough to shift vaccine doses or change distribution locations as necessary. While state guidelines and oversight are necessary, the state must trust local officials to take the lead in managing the delivery to most residents. Give them the tools to be resourceful and inventive.
Also key to beating back the virus is Cuomo’s suggestion that hospitals make their vaccine distribution to health care workers available around the clock. County officials should encourage other distribution facilities to similarly offer a range of overnight and weekend hours, especially now that the pool of eligible individuals is widening. Right now, county officials say, the state system has limits on how many appointments per hour can be booked. Those restrictions should be lifted. 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.
