The last winter storm closed some vaccination sites on Long Island on Thursday and led to the early closure of a major coronavirus testing site, although state vaccination sites in Jones Beach and Stony Brook University have moved forward with operations through the snow.
At the same time, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that COVID-19 indicators continue to decline across the state, even as New York struggles with a vaccine shortage.
Locals in Jones Beach and Stony Brook continued to vaccinate people on Thursday, while officials closely watched the weather.
“The vaccine is the weapon that will win the war against COVID, and as long as conditions remain safe, we will not let winter slow down our efforts to vaccinate as many people as humanly possible,” Jack Sterne, a spokesman for Cuomo, said Thursday afternoon.
He said that any New Yorkers concerned about arriving at his office during the snowstorm should call the state’s vaccine hotline (833-NYS-4VAX) and officials will try to find a solution.
Infection and hospitalization levels dropped again after the peak of the holiday season, Cuomo said. Across the state, the seven-day average for positivity in the COVID-19 tests dropped for the 41st consecutive day, to 3.61%, he said.
The level on Long Island fell to 4.39%, marking the first time in days that the region did not claim the only place with the highest percentage of positives in the state. The Mid-Hudson region registered 4.4%.
Cuomo has repeatedly pointed out and criticized Long Island for his level of related cases and hospitalizations in recent weeks, scolding him on Wednesday as “number one loser”.
Hospitalizations for patients with COVID-19 dropped, decreasing by 140 to a total of 6,434 patients in the state.
The daily positivity rate for the state was 3.15% of Monday’s 215,731 test results. New York as a whole reached positive lows of around 1% during the summer.
“New Yorkers fought the holiday wave of COVID-19 and left on the other side, and now that the numbers are dwindling, we can loosen the valve and increase economic activity,” said Cuomo.
The number of deaths from the virus on Wednesday was 114 people across the state, including five victims in Nassau and 12 in Suffolk, according to the state.
The number of new confirmed cases was 514 in Nassau, 461 in Suffolk and 3,438 in New York City. In the past few weeks, amid the sudden increase in the holiday, Nassau and Suffolk often exceeded 1,000 new confirmed cases per day.
Cuomo said the state is in a race between the spread of new infections and vaccinating enough people to control the virus.
He urged the public to “double” measures to prevent the coronavirus from spreading.
Some vaccination efforts affected by snow
Suffolk County was not scheduling the first doses of vaccine at its Brentwood and Riverhead vaccination sites on Thursday and postponed the opening of a new center in Selden due to weather-related complications, but was honoring second chance appointments. .
Nassau County on Wednesday announced imminent closings and postponements, while New York City anticipated delays in vaccine shipments.
“This is the fifth winter storm that is launched on us, and I am pleased that the Nassau County Health Department has remained responsive and continues to successfully reschedule vaccination appointments as needed,” said the Nassau County executive, Laura Curran.
Stony Brook University said its COVID-19 test site closed at 1 pm Thursday due to the snowstorm. The inauguration will be postponed on Friday, with a deadline yet to be defined, said a university spokeswoman.
No appointment for the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine was scheduled at any mass vaccination site administered by Suffolk County on Thursday because inclement weather delayed delivery, said Derek Poppe, a county spokesman. Since none were scheduled, none had to be canceled, he said.
Consultations for the second dose were scheduled for Thursday, and county officials communicated directly with each person to ask if they wanted to keep the appointment or reschedule because of the weather, Poppe said.
“People who still want to have the injection today will be able to,” Poppe said on Thursday of those with second-dose commitments.
The county operates two mass vaccination sites, at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood and Riverhead.
Suffolk planned to open the Selden vaccination site on Thursday specifically for employees and residents with underlying medical conditions, but said on Wednesday that the opening would be delayed if delivery of the vaccine was also postponed.
In Nassau County-administered locations, consultations for the second dose scheduled for Thursday and Friday will be moved to Monday, Curran said.
People who were scheduled for Thursday and Friday will receive e-mail warnings about the delay, she said, and if Monday is inconvenient, there will be other options.
Vaccination sites are expected to operate on Saturday and Sunday, she said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said New York City was experiencing delays in sending vaccines due to the storm. Vaccine deliveries usually on Tuesday or Wednesday may be postponed until the end of the week, possibly even on the weekend, leading to postponed consultations and even the opening of two new locations.
Cuomo said New York State received 2,335,250 first doses and administered 2,109,690 of them, or 90%. He received 1,284,300 second doses and administered 984,100 of them.
Stony Brook University said on Thursday that the state vaccination site on its campus has already vaccinated 25,000 people. The website opened on January 18.
On Thursday, New York City health commissioner Dr. Dave Chokshi recommended folding the masks – one surgical, one cloth – to further reduce the transmission of the coronavirus. The previous recommendation required only a mask. He also said that older people and those most at risk for the virus should consider using KN95 masks, which provide additional protection.
With Matthew Chayes and David Reich-Hale
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 aged 65 and over, as well as others with underlying conditions that put them at greater risk. The state had already 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 mainly on health professionals. The following are the qualification categories, as revised on February 9th.
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.
- Outpatient staff.
- Home care workers and hospices.
- Residents and staff at other care institutions 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, school contractors 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 store workers dealing with the public.
- Individuals living in homeless shelters.
Following federal recommendations:
Added at the discretion of local governments:
- Taxi drivers.
- Restaurant workers.
- Residents of facilities for people with developmental disabilities.
SOURCE: New York State, Northwell Health.
Sign up to receive COVID-19 text alerts at newsday.com/text.