Bellone Announces #CampVax Initiative For Kids, Camp Counselors

HAUPPAUGE, NY — Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone on Monday announced the #CampVax initiative as a means to encourage camp counselors, staff, and kids 12 and older to get vaccinated ahead of the start of summer camp season.

The initiative includes a Pfizer vaccine point of distribution at the H. Lee Dennison Building in Hauppauge and walk-in locations across the county, including the Suffolk Community College Ammerman Campus in Selden, Pronto of Long Island in Bay Shore, and the Patchogue-Medford Library.

The county is offering incentives to children who get vaccinated, including free ice cream cones, as well as tickets to Splish Splash Water Park in Calverton, Adventureland Amusement Park in Farmingdale, and The Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead.

"We've seen promising progress as more and more of our economy continues to open up, but if we want to fully return to normalcy, we need residents to commit to getting vaccinated," Bellone said.

Roughly 70 percent of residents have been vaccinated against the coronavirus.

"But that's not enough," Bellone said. "We need to get higher."

The Hauppauge POD, open from 3 to 8 p.m., is offering a free Mister Softee ice cream cone to the first 100 children to get vaccinated.

Suffolk County has 20,000 to 30,000 children who attend summer camps each year, according to Bellone.

"I think we can all agree that they deserve to enjoy it in as close to a normal fashion as possible," Bellone said.

To further encourage children to get vaccinated, the Long Island Ducks will be offering three family packs of four tickets to an upcoming game at Fairfield Properties Ballpark in Central Islip. Adventureland will be offering two family four-packs; Splish Splash is donating a family four-pack of tickets, and the Long Island Aquarium is also offering a package, Bellone said.