This story was reported by Robert Brodsky, Lisa L. Colangelo, Bart Jones and John Valenti. It was written by Jones.
A second vaccination site COVID-19 on Long Island opened at Stony Brook University on Monday, along with pop-up sites in Uniondale and Bellport, as more residents rolled up their sleeves for the first of two doses protected against the virus .
The openings were for many a welcome change due to the frustration and chaos of last week’s vaccination, marked by online mixes and an offer that could not keep up with a group that continued to grow.
The launch of Stony Brook follows the opening of the mass venue last week in Jones Beach. Governor Andrew M. Cuomo said Monday that 3,511 vaccinations had been given at Jones Beach, at a rate of 877 per day.
The governor said five mass sites are operating in the state, and eight more are expected to open this week.
Many of those vaccinated at Stony Brook on Monday were among the 20,000 people who made appointments using an unauthorized sign-up web link that was improperly distributed last week, only to find out that their appointments were later canceled.
The Office of the Inspector General is trying to determine if anyone leaked the link before it was put into use and if the site was hacked, officials said.
Elizabeth Brown, 51, who teaches English as a new language to high school students in the Longwood school district, said she was ‘crushed’ when her appointment was canceled. But after finding a valid place, she feels relieved.
“It’s life-changing in that my school is returning full-time to student education four days a week,” Brown told Southold. “I will have more than 20 students in my classroom from February 1st, and it gives me the degree of confidence that I will not bring home the virus to my mother, who I care for and oxygen.”
According to officials and residents, the vaccination program was full of confusion last week after the number of people eligible for shots rose from about 2 million to 7 million within a few days.
The first group to be approved were leading health care workers and residents and nursing homes. But it was expanded last week to include police, firefighters, teachers and other essential workers and everyone over 75. And then the qualifying group grew again to include those over 65.
The changes led to unrest as people tried in vain to log on to the state’s website and make an appointment for the limited amount of doses.
Cuomo, who returned Monday to his regular criticism of the federal government over the vaccine supply, released a letter he sent to Dr. Albert Bouria, the chairman and CEO of Pfizer, asking that New York vaccines come directly from the company must buy. Cuomo said he had not yet received a response from Pfizer.
More than 3,760 suppliers applied and were approved by the state to serve as vaccination sites. Currently, 636 locations have been activated, with 105 on Long Island that include hospitals, emergency care and pharmacies.
A pharmacy owner in Suffolk County, who stopped the program in frustration last week, said Monday he has resumed vaccinations after the state adjusted its program.
Fairview Pharmacy in Port Jefferson Station, which is listed on the state website as a vaccination site, was overwhelmed last week with hundreds of people calling – even though the pharmacy had no doses, owner Michael Nastro said. He said last week that he did not opt for the program because his telephone system had collapsed and that he could not run his regular pharmacy business.
But Nastro said Monday that the state has removed its business from its scheduling website, which now only contains the state-run mass vaccination sites, and he has been instructed to vaccinate only the group of 65 and older.
That, he said, “makes it manageable for us … Now I feel like I have some control.”
He received 200 doses last week and started administering them on Monday morning, but he still has a waiting list of 4,000 people and was unsure when he would get his next consignment.
Cuomo said another ripple in the vaccination effort is that many doctors and nurses working in state hospitals have not been vaccinated themselves. As they get sick from the virus, the staff becomes depleted.
Only 62.8% received shots nationwide, and according to the state, Long Island has the lowest percentage of vaccinated hospital workers than any region in the state.
This, along with other, more contagious strains of the virus from the UK, Brazil and South Africa that could come here or already could create a “nightmare” situation for hospitals, Cuomo said.
St. Catherine of the Siena Medical Center in Smithtown is considered the best hospital in Long Island to get 43.3% of hospital workers vaccinated, state officials said. This was followed by St. Charles in Port Jefferson (43.6%); St. Francis Hospital in Roslyn (45.7%), which is also part of the Catholic Health Services; and Mercy Medical in Rockville Center (47.2%). Long Island Community Hospital in Patchogue rounded out the list at 53.4%.
Five health care hospitals in the Catholic Health Service were also one of the worst performing medical facilities in Long Island in terms of administering doses allocated by the state. This includes St. Catherine (51%) in; St. Joseph Hospital in Bethpage (63%); St. Charles (75%); Mercy Medical Center (75%) and the Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center in West Islip (87%).
The Catholic Health Services did not immediately issue calls for comment. A Long Island Community Hospital spokeswoman said: “We have vaccinated 100% of our frontline employees who are eligible and who have requested the vaccine,” although she added that some who initially refused have changed their minds. .
Glen Cove Hospital and Syosset Hospital, both of which are part of the Northwell Health system, have been included in the list of hospitals performing the worst for hospital workers. Glen Cove vaccinated about 46.2%, while Syosset vaccinated 46.5%.
In a statement, Northwell said he was vaccinating hundreds of staff members every day. “We do not make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory and expect the number of vaccinated staff to vary from facility to facility,” the statement said.
Pop-up sites open
Grace Cathedral International in Uniondale on Monday was one of eight faith-based pop-up websites offering the vaccine.
Karim Camara, executive director and deputy commissioner at the governor’s office of faith-based community development services, said the goal was to bring the vaccine to sub-communities worst affected.
According to Michael Dowling, president and CEO of Northwell Health, there were enough doses to vaccinate 250 people at the church, who promised to return to the place as soon as they received additional supplies.
Tracey Edwards, regional director for the NAACP, says hosting clinics in well-known community attractions is key to reaching people who may be reluctant to be vaccinated.
“If we can do that in multiple areas, you can be less hesitant because you will be on the right track with people you see in the store, and you will be in line with your neighbors,” Edwards said. “Everything we can do to make it more comfortable for people, we have to do.”
Jeinine Jones-Ford, of Uniondale, said she was surprised at how painless she felt after receiving her first dose at church.
“I do not like needles,” said Jones, 51, a postman and Sunday school teacher. “But I did not even feel it. I hope I get the same nurse when I come back.”
Residents also fired shots at the Boys & Girls Club in Bellport as part of a pilot program, Suffolk County manager Steve Bellone said.
“This is a pilot for the distribution of community-based businesses,” Bellone said, adding that such sites “ensure fair access to the vaccine.”
Northwell provided 250 doses of Moderna vaccine for the site. While no exact number of people vaccinated at the site were available Monday, Bellone said: “The turnout was amazing … It’s going very smoothly, people are very happy and very appreciated.”
At Stony Brook, a steady stream of Long Islanders arrived for the first doses of Pfizer vaccine.
Mark Jennings, 62, a science teacher at Bellport High School, said it was important to take his vaccination.
“This is very important,” said Jennings of East Northport. “I’m a type 2 diabetic and do not want to catch this thing.”
Stony Brook, which is open seven days a week from 8 a.m. to 6:15 p.m., vaccinated 500 people on Monday, but will have the capacity to serve more once the state receives more doses, state officials said.
Michael Hershkowitz, 44, of South Setauket, said he won a lottery when he secured a spot on the first day.
“I had six to eight tabs open just waiting to load,” said Hershkowitz, a lecturer at Stony Brook University.
Martin Liptak, 69, a retired FDNY firefighter from East Northport, said he and his wife, Carol, who was also vaccinated on Monday, said: “I want to come back and eat and do the things we normally do. … We want to be normal again. ‘
Victoria Loweree (62), from Point Lookout, who teaches second grade in Lawrence, said she’s very happy … I teach personally, and it means a lot to me to get the most protection I can get . ‘