Walk-in vaccinations for everyone eligible at state-run sites
'Just come in': All NYers 16-plus can walk in for vaccines
John Asaro, 36, of Patchogue, gets his COVID-19 vaccine earlier this month at a vaccination site in Amityville. Credit: Debbie Egan-Chin
Cuomo said he's opening vaccinations to walk-ins at state sites beginning Thursday as New York is seeing "demand is reducing" and "fewer people are asking for appointments," while the supply of vaccine has increased.
"All New Yorkers 16-plus, just come in … and you are eligible for a vaccine," said Cuomo. "All the obstacles are removed; all the barriers are removed. Just show up and roll up your sleeves and the mass vaccination site has capacity to handle it."
The state will also give counties the option to switch to walk-ins at their vaccination sites. The walk-ins are for first doses only.
The shift to walk-ins is a stark contrast from the beginning of the vaccination campaign in December and through the first months of the year, when state residents got access to the shots by priority groups and many still struggled to secure appointments amid limited supply.
The number of new positives reported today: 152 in Nassau, 204 in Suffolk, 1,191 in New York City and 2,704 statewide.
The chart below shows an update on the percentage of New Yorkers who have been vaccinated so far.
This chart shows the cumulative percentages of New Yorkers who have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and those who have been fully vaccinated.
Search a map of new cases and view charts showing the latest local trends in vaccinations, testing, hospitalizations, deaths and more.
CDC: Fully vaccinated don't need masks outside, unless in big crowds
People walk while wearing masks on a July day in Patchogue. Credit: Newsday/Steve Pfost
Long Island infectious disease experts welcomed the new federal guidance released that fully vaccinated Americans don't need to wear masks outdoors anymore unless they’re in a big crowd of strangers, and those who are unvaccinated can go without a face covering outside in some cases.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the update Tuesday after most of the past year advising Americans to wear masks outdoors if they’re within 6 feet of each other. Cuomo said the state will adopt the revised guidelines.
Dr. Bruce Farber, chief of infectious diseases at Northwell's North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset and Long Island Jewish Medical Center in New Hyde Park, said the change is "appropriate and in some ways long overdue."
Read more on the specifics of the new CDC guidance.
LIPA, PSEG won't shut off late-paying customers for now
LIPA said it will continue to assist customers experiencing financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: Newsday / Steve Pfost
LIPA and PSEG Long Island said they will refrain from terminating electric service to customers behind on their bills, even after a state moratorium on shut-offs expired March 31.
The decision comes as the State Legislature last week passed a measure that would extend the moratorium on utility shut-offs for at least another 180 days after the state of emergency is lifted, or by year’s end. Cuomo, who has yet to sign the bill, is "negotiating" details of the measure with lawmakers, a spokesman said.
Efforts to extend the moratorium, which was put in place last spring after COVID lockdowns left many scrambling to pay bills, failed as part of state budget talks earlier this month. The original moratorium applied to water, gas and electric utility customers. Read more from this story by reporter Mark Harrington.
Amid pandemic, oyster farmers pivot to preserve one of LI's most iconic foods
Paul McCormick, owner of Great Gun Shellfish Co., checks his oysters during a morning of harvesting in the Moriches Bay in March. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
When spring of 2020 hit, seafood towers vanished because restaurants were closed, and those that stayed open stopped buying oysters, which were never much of a takeout item.
For Oyster farmer Paul McCormick and other oyster farmers around Long Island, it was a cataclysm: They saw their orders plunge almost overnight, even as millions of oysters kept growing and threatening to breach marketable size on farms in the Peconic Bay, Great South Bay and Moriches Bay, where McCormick is one of three growers.
Newsday’s Corin Hirsch has a story about how three new growers in Moriches Bay are preserving one of LI's most iconic foods.
More to know
With food insecurity on the rise, Long Island Cares and Feeding New York State Fresh to Go Box Program will host an East End Farmer's Market distribution event on Wednesday in Hampton Bays.
Local officials are responding to a surge of anti-Asian violence by introducing a proposed law in the Nassau County Legislature to prohibit COVID-19-related discrimination.
A pilot program launched last fall that allowed some New Yorkers to take their learner permit test online has been expanded statewide, officials said.
President Joe Biden's first 100 days in office were spent encouraging Americans to wear masks and stay home to slow the spread of the virus, and now it's about getting on a path back to normal.
News for you
Karolina Molnar, owner of Posh-Nosh Picnics, sets up a tent in a backyard in Merrick this month. Credit: Linda Rosier
Rent some fun for your backyard. The pandemic has continued business for Long Island rental companies with backyard options like inflatable waterslides, igloo-like tents and play areas. Here are some details on what you can rent, from bubble tents for picnics to an archery range.
Bon Jovi is coming to Bay Shore (virtually). The New Jersey rock band is shooting a new concert at the Paramount Theatre in Asbury Park and it will be shown in Bay Shore on May 22, in addition to at over 300 drive-ins and outdoor theaters around the world.
Where to go clamming, crabbing on LI. Clams, crabs and other shellfish rank high on the list of seafood Long Islanders enjoy. They're also often caught locally, and Newsday has some tips for where to go to take part.
Plus: Newsday hosted a webinar on Tuesday to answer questions on using LinkedIn to your advantage in landing a job or advancing your career. Watch it here.
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Commentary
Credit: Getty Images/iStockphoto/z_wei
Preparing for the next pandemic. Michael Balboni, a former New York State senator and deputy secretary for public safety, writes for Newsday: The tide may be slowly going out on COVID-19 but its lasting legacy may well be defined by whether our society can recognize the lessons learned in how to respond to a worldwide health care crisis before the next pandemic.
Regrettably, America has historically demonstrated that it has no institutional memory. Consider: Before World War II, the Navy war-gamed an attack on Pearl Harbor, yet was unable to defend the base during the actual attack. Repeated hurricanes over generations have devastated Long Island, but superstorm Sandy was a shock to many. Disease pathogens like SARS and H1N1 have emerged at an alarming pace, but we were stunned into disbelief that our nation would face a 21st-century pandemic.
And yet the warnings have always been there. 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.
