This story was reported by Rachelle Blidner, Matthew Chayes, Jesse Coburn, Candice Ferrette and Bart Jones. It was written by Jones.
More cases of a variant of COVID-19 linked to the UK and considered much more contagious than the regular strain have been found on Long Island, with a cluster spanning the counties of Nassau and Suffolk, the state said on Wednesday.
The development occurred as thousands of people in the region struggled to enroll in a limited number of vaccination points after groups of qualified residents were expanded, despite a lack of dosages.
State officials have reported that the UK coronavirus variant known as B.1.1.7 has spread to Suffolk with two confirmed cases. Nassau – where a case of the variant had already been confirmed in Massapequa – now has two cases. The total number of variant cases across the state has risen to 15, said Governor Andrew M. Cuomo.
Meanwhile, appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine at two county sites in Nassau are being scheduled so quickly that officials said they are releasing time slots only “the day before.” And dosages at a major county hospital are almost gone, officials said.
On Tuesday, county locations in Westbury and Garden City distributed 973 doses, while more than 700 vaccinations were scheduled for Wednesday.
“It’s an ongoing process,” said Nassau County Health Commissioner Larry Eisenstein.
“When we know that we have vaccines, we mark [the appointments] as much as we can, “he added.” Consultations go very quickly. “
The shortage of vaccines in Nassau arose when Long Island residents reported problems finding vacancies in the state system to apply for vaccines at locations, including a location in Jones Beach. State officials did not respond to a request for comment.
A new mass vaccination site opened on Wednesday at the Javits Center in Manhattan, while the Jones Beach site was due to start administering vaccines on Thursday, the state said.
More than 50,000 people were vaccinated against COVID-19 in Nassau on Wednesday “and that number will continue to grow,” but the supply currently does not meet demand, said Nassau County executive Laura Curran on Wednesday .
Curran said 4,200 people had been vaccinated at the two county distribution sites, Nassau Community College and Yes, We Can Community Center in Westbury.
“We know that putting the vaccine in people’s arms will bring our business back and keep our children in school,” Curran said in an interview outside Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, the county’s public hospital, which vaccinated 4,500 employees.
Vaccines used as soon as they arrive
Eisenstein said that vaccines received in the morning are removed in the afternoon. “Once we have the vaccine, we will get it to people,” he said.
The health commissioner asked the public for patience. He said that there are hundreds of thousands of people qualified to receive the vaccine in Nassau alone, but less than 1,000 doses arrive each day. “We are controlling what we can on our side,” he said.
He asked people who received the first dose of the double vaccines to return to the same location to eliminate the confusion. He ensured that people who need the second dose in three weeks will be able to make appointments for the dose of Moderna given in county locations.
Suffolk hospitals administered 39,274 vaccines as of Monday, county officials said. A total of 3,450 nursing home residents and 2,477 nursing home employees received at least the first injection, officials said.
The county administered 2,510 doses to eligible persons in Phase 1a, a group comprised largely of health professionals, home employees and residents.
The county vaccination site at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood was not giving injections on Wednesday because it was out of dosage, officials said.
Across the state, 732,066 people were vaccinated by 3pm on Wednesday, Cuomo said in a tweet. That was an increase of 67,000 over the previous 24 hours.
Most were given at distribution locations – 624,280. The remaining 107,786 were administered in long-term institutions.
GETING COVID-19 VACCINES
Who is eligible for COVID-19 injections?
The state of New York has expanded the list of eligible residents to include people 65 years of age or older, as well as others considered immunocompromised. The state recently expanded its vaccination program to include essential workers and people aged 75 and over, as well as health professionals and residents and nursing home employees, among others. The supply of vaccines is limited even as more groups are added. Hospitals will continue to prioritize unvaccinated members of the first phase, focusing primarily on health professionals. The following are the qualification categories, as revised on January 12.
Group in Phase 1A
The state said that about 2.1 million state residents belong to this group, including:
- Health professionals in hospitals who interact with patients.
- Residents and employees in nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
- Dentists, psychologists and others considered health professionals with direct contact with patients.
- Federally Qualified Health Center staff.
- Volunteers and EMT employees.
- Coroners, coroners, some funeral directors.
- Staff and residents of state facilities for people with developmental disabilities, mental health services and chemical dependency.
- Emergency call center employees.
- Individuals who administer COVID-19 vaccines, including employees of the local health department.
- Staff in outpatient centers.
- Home care and hospice workers
- Residents and staff at other care facilities congregate.
Group in Phase 1B
The state estimates that about 3.2 million residents belong to this group, including:
- People aged 75 and over.
- Teachers and education workers, including face-to-face college instructors, substitute teachers, student teachers, school administrators, paraprofessional staff, support staff, hired from schools and bus drivers.
- Rescuers, including police; firemen; state police; sheriff’s offices; county, city and town police departments, and other law enforcement offices.
- Public security workers, including dispatchers and technicians.
- Public transport workers, including employees of airports, railways, subways, buses, ferries and port authorities.
- Correction officers.
- Other sworn and civilian personnel, such as justice and peace officers.
- Grocery workers dealing with the public.
- Individuals living in homeless shelters.
Added to follow federal recommendations:
- People aged 65 and over.
- People considered immunocompromised. The state will issue specific guidelines on who qualifies.
SOURCE: New York State
In Nassau, Eisenstein also said that the county’s Office of Aging is helping seniors with problems with the state’s online vaccine registration form.
Curran said that on sites like the NUMC, thousands of appointments scheduled through the state system cannot be attended to due to lack of dosages.
“The hospital will run out of vaccine [Thursday]”said Curran, by committing himself to fighting for additional doses.” Pharmacies and doctors’ offices will soon be able to administer the vaccine – we just need the doses. “
State officials confirmed four cases of the UK variant in Saratoga County, where its first state instance was detected earlier this month, linked to a jeweler visitor who recently traveled to the United Kingdom, said Cuomo.
Two cases have been confirmed within Warren County, along with one in Queens and one in Manhattan. The Queens case is considered part of the Nassau and Suffolk cluster, the state said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said two cases of the variant were found in New York City, one linked to a person who traveled. “Someone who was in the UK brought the variant back here,” he said.
A total of 165 people died on Tuesday across the state from COVID-19-related causes, including eight in Nassau and 15 in Suffolk. The level of positivity in the test results on Tuesday was 7.4% across the state, with levels of 8.9% on Long Island and 5.9% in New York City.
The number of new confirmed cases was 1,457 in Nassau, 1,673 in Suffolk and 5,822 in New York.
On Long Island, several districts have switched to virtual classes to reduce the risk of spread.
6th to 12th graders in the Patchogue-Medford school district are learning remotely this week amid an increase in COVID-19 cases and a shortage of staff.
In the Port Jefferson school district, students in grades 6 through 12 also switched to remote learning on Tuesday.
Connetquot High School in Bohemia will remain closed until Friday, school officials said. The school became completely virtual earlier in the week.
The Farmingdale school district is closing all buildings on Thursday and Friday, and plans to return to classes live on January 19.
In Suffolk, county executive Steve Bellone said he is expanding a free COVID-19 rapid test program for local veterans. The first aid rapid test program launched last month and provided hundreds of tests for police, fire and emergency medical personnel, officials said.
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