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This story was reported by Rachelle blidner, Matthieu 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 to be much more contagious than the regular strain have been found on Long Island, with a cluster spanning Nassau and Suffolk counties, the state said Wednesday.
The development came as thousands of people in the region struggled to register for a limited number of vaccination points after the groups of eligible residents grew despite a shortage of doses.
State officials have reported that the variant of the British coronavirus known as B.1.1.7 has spread to Suffolk with two confirmed cases. Nassau – where one case of the variant was previously confirmed in Massapequa – now has two cases. The total statewide variant cases have risen to 15, Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said.
Meanwhile, appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine at two sites in Nassau County are booked so quickly that officials have said they will only post “one day” slots. And the dosages at a large county hospital are all but gone, officials said.
Westbury and Garden City counties sites distributed 973 doses on Tuesday, while more than 700 vaccinations were scheduled for Wednesday.
“It’s an ongoing process,” said Nassau County Health Commissioner Larry Eisenstein.
“When we know we have vaccines, we plan [the appointments] as far as possible, “he added.” Meetings go very quickly. “
The vaccine shortage in Nassau came as residents of Long Island reported problems finding open places through the state’s system to register for vaccinations at sites, including a site in Jones Beach. State officials did not respond to a request for comment.
A new mass vaccination site opened at the Javits Center in Manhattan on Wednesday, while the Jones Beach site was scheduled to begin administering vaccines on Thursday, the state said.
More than 50,000 people had been vaccinated against COVID-19 in Nassau on Wednesday “and this number will continue to increase”, but supply is currently not meeting demand, Nassau County Director Laura Curran said on Wednesday. .
Curran said 4,200 people had been vaccinated at the county’s two distribution sites, Nassau Community College and Yes, We Can Community Center in Westbury.
“We know that having the vaccine in people’s arms will bring our businesses back and keep our kids in school,” Curran said during a briefing outside Nassau University Medical Center in East Meadow, the public hospital of Nassau. county, which vaccinated 4,500 staff.
Vaccines used upon arrival
Eisenstein said vaccines received in the morning were withdrawn in the afternoon. “As soon as we have the vaccine, we pass it on to people,” he said.
The health commissioner pleaded with the public to be patient. He said there were hundreds of thousands of people eligible to receive the vaccine in Nassau alone, but less than 1,000 doses arrive each day. “We control what we can on our side,” he said.
He urged those who received the first dose of the two-dose vaccines to return to the same site to eliminate any confusion. He guaranteed that people who need the second shot in three weeks will be able to make appointments for the Moderna shot given at county venues.
Suffolk hospitals had administered 39,274 vaccinations as of Monday, county officials said. A total of 3,450 nursing home residents and 2,477 nursing home staff had received at least their first injection, officials said.
The county administered 2,510 doses to eligible people during phase 1a, a group largely made up of health workers, nursing home staff and residents.
The county vaccination site at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood did not administer any vaccines on Wednesday because it ran out of doses, officials said.
Statewide, 732,066 people had been vaccinated by 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Cuomo said in a tweet. This was an increase of 67,000 from the previous 24 hours.
Most were administered at distribution sites – 624,280. The remaining 107,786 were administered in long-term care facilities.
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Who qualifies for the COVID-19 shots?
New York State has expanded the list of eligible residents to include people 65 years of age and older as well as others considered to be immunocompromised. The state recently expanded its immunization program to include essential workers and people aged 75 and over, in addition to health workers, residents and nursing home staff, among others. The vaccine supply is limited even as other groups are added. Hospitals will continue to prioritize unvaccinated members of the first phase, with a strong focus on health workers. Here are the qualifying categories, as revised January 12.
Group in phase 1A
The state said about 2.1 million state residents belong to this group, including:
- Health workers in hospitals who interact with patients.
- Residents and staff of nursing homes and assisted living facilities.
- Dentists, psychologists and others are considered health workers in direct contact with patients.
- Employees of federally approved health centers.
- Volunteers and EMT staff.
- Coroners, medical examiners, some funerals.
- Staff and residents of public institutions for people with intellectual disabilities, mental health care and addiction treatment services.
- Emergency care center workers.
- People administering COVID-19 vaccines, including staff from the local health department.
- Staff of outpatient centers.
- Home care and palliative care workers.
- Residents and staff of other collective care facilities.
Group in phase 1B
The state has estimated that around 3.2 million people belong to this group, including:
- Persons aged 75 and over.
- Teachers and education workers, including in-person college instructors, substitute teachers, interns, school administrators, paraprofessionals, support staff, school contractors, and bus drivers.
- First responders, including the police; firefighters; state police; sheriff’s offices; county, city and town police departments and other law enforcement offices.
- Public safety workers, including dispatchers and technicians.
- Transit workers, including employees of airports, railways, subways, buses, ferries and port authorities.
- Correctional officers.
- Other sworn and civilian personnel, such as courts and peace officers.
- Employees of grocery stores dealing with the public.
- People living in homeless shelters.
Added to follow federal recommendations:
- People 65 years of age and over.
- People found to be immunocompromised. The state will issue specific guidelines on who is eligible.
SOURCE: New York State
In Nassau, Eisenstein also said the county’s Office of the Aging is helping seniors who have issues with the state’s online vaccine registration form.
Curran said that on sites like NUMC, thousands of appointments scheduled by the state system cannot be filled due to a lack of dosages.
“The hospital will run out of vaccine [Thursday]”Curran said, as she pledged to fight for extra doses.” Pharmacies and doctors’ offices will soon be able to administer the vaccine – we just need the doses. “
State officials have confirmed four cases of the British variant in Saratoga County, where its first state instance was detected earlier this month, linked to a visitor to a jewelry store who had recently been traveled to the UK, Cuomo said.
Two cases have been confirmed in northern Warren County, with one in Queens and another in Manhattan. The Queens case is considered part of the Nassau and Suffolk group, the state said.
Mayor Bill de Blasio said two cases of the variant were found in New York City, one linked to someone who had traveled. “Someone who was in the UK brought the variant back here,” he said.
A total of 165 people died statewide from COVID-19-related causes on Tuesday, including eight in Nassau and 15 in Suffolk. The level of positivity in test results on Tuesday was 7.4% statewide, with levels of 8.9% in 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 classrooms to reduce the risk of spread.
Students in Grades 6 to 12 in the Patchogue-Medford School District are learning remotely this week amid a peak in COVID-19 cases and a staff shortage.
In the Port Jefferson School District, students in grades 6 to 12 also switched to distance learning on Tuesday.
Connetquot High School in Bohemia will remain closed until Friday, school officials said. The school went fully virtual earlier in the week.
The Farmingdale School District is closing all buildings Thursday and Friday and plans to resume live lessons on January 19.
In Suffolk, County Director Steve Bellone said he was expanding a free rapid test program for COVID-19 to local veterans. The first responder rapid testing program was launched last month and has provided hundreds of tests to members of local law enforcement, firefighters and emergency medical services, officials said.
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