First Nassau County Coronavirus Vaccine Center Opening

NASSAU COUNTY, NY — Nassau County will open its first coronavirus vaccine distribution center this week

The center, at Nassau Community College, will open Tuesday, according to Nassau County Executive Laura Curran. The center will be open seven days a week and patients must make appointments before receiving the vaccine. Northwell Health workers will administer the vaccine.

"This partnership will help us move swiftly along the state's prioritization schedule, and help make sure our front-line workers here in Nassau County will get vaccinated," Curran said.

The distribution of the vaccine is still limited to people including front-line health care workers and those in nursing homes. (View a list of those now eligible for the vaccine below.) People can visit the county website to find out if they're eligible to get the vaccine and to make an appointment if they are.

Officials expect hundreds of vaccine doses a day will be administered at the center.

"I really want to urge all residents who meet the criteria to make an appointment and get vaccinated," Curran said.

The county could open more vaccine distribution centers in the coming months. One of the challenges in administering the coronavirus vaccine is that it requires two doses spaced multiple weeks apart — 21 days for the Pfizer vaccine and 28 for Moderna's. It requires administration to make sure patients return for the second doses, as well as storage during the intervening weeks.

"This is going to take quite a bit of time. It's going to require patience," said Northwell Health CEO Michael Dowling."It's going to take a couple of months to get the whole population done."

Whatever side effects the vaccine may have are much better than contracting the coronavirus, according to Curran.

"We can do this, Nassau," Curran said. "I know we can."

Curran on Monday also addressed the claim by Gov. Andrew Cuomo that Nassau University Medical Center has only administered 19 percent of the vaccine allotment it was given. The hospital has been among the slowest in the state to administer the vaccine.

"I want to make sure doses are administered as quickly as possible," she said. "What's happening now does not meet my expectations of a plan of action."

Nassau County Legislature Presiding Officer Richard Nicolello issued this statement: "It is inexcusable for the Nassau University Medical Center to have distributed only 19 percent of the vaccine it has been provided. By failing to distribute the vaccine, the hospital is failing as a safety net for those most in need of medical care, including communities of color. The county executive can try to distance herself from NUMC, but she needs to light a fire under the chairman of the board, whom she appointed to run NUMC."

These are the groups currently eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine:

• High-risk hospital staff, affiliates, volunteers and contract staff
• High-risk hospital staff including state-operated Office of Mental Health psychiatric centers
• Emergency medical services personnel
• Medical examiners and coroners
• Funeral workers who have direct contact with infectious material and bodily fluids
• Health care or other high-risk direct care essential staff working in long-term care facilities and long-term, congregate settings overseen by Office of People With Development Disabilities, Office of Mental Health and Office of Addiction Services and Support
• Persons living in some long-term care facilities and in long-term congregate settings
• Federally Qualified Health Center staff
• Agency staff and residents in congregate living situations run by the Office of People With Development Disabilities, Office of Mental Health and Office of Addiction Services and Support
• Urgent care providers
• Any staff administering COVID-19 vaccinations
• All outpatient/ambulatory front-line, high-risk health care providers who provide direct in-person patient care or other staff in a position where they have direct contact with patients, such as receptionists, of any age