First responders began rolling up their sleeves on Monday when new groups were eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in New York on Monday.
Others included in group 1B are correctional officers, teachers, public transport workers and people over 75 years of age.
Volunteer firefighters, such as former Williston Park chief Tony Gagliardi, say the first responders rushing to emergencies are much more exposed to COVID-19.
“When you go to different calls, you do not know what you are going through, you do not know if the people have it. So it is very important that we protect ourselves,” says Gagliardi.
Nassau County CEO Laura Curran says they were willing to vaccinate 1,000 people at the two county-run distribution centers. The centers are located at Nassau Community College and the Yes We Can Community Center in Westbury.
In Suffolk, Suffolk Community College is a distribution center that opened last week. County Bell’s Steve Bellone said it was only open from Wednesday to Saturday and that only people in the healthcare industry could be eligible at that time.
By the time Saturday rolls around, the stock is up. The province is now waiting for more.
“We were able to administer more than 2,500 vaccines. But we’re out, so the pod is closed,” Bellone said. “That’s really the problem. We need the federal government to release more vaccinations. At the end of the day, we can only push up 5,000 a day at this facility alone, but without the stock, of course, we cannot open. “
Bellone says he expects there will be another shipment of the vaccine by Tuesday. As soon as this happens, the center will reopen for appointments.
Donna Schaeffer, of Dix Hills, spent hours on the computer Monday morning getting a COVID-19 vaccine appointment for her 96-year-old mother Charlotte. So far it has not worked.
‘They say’ everyone is vaccinated ‘. We do not give enough vaccines, but it makes it impossible to do so, “says Schaeffer.
Richard Haase, president of the Half Hollow Hills Teachers Association, also feels so confused. He says the email asking questions is incessant, and the answers are harder to reach.
“I am constantly trying to get information from anyone who will answer my phone call, text message or email,” says Haase. “We just try to tell people what we know, when we know it and tell people to stay patient and hopeful.”