Nassau Reaches COVID-19 Milestone As Teen Vaccinations Begin

MINEOLA, NY — President Joe Biden set a goal last week to have 70 percent of adults in the U.S. vaccinated with at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by July 4, but Nassau County has reached that goal much sooner, County Executive Laura Curran said Thursday.

Seven out of 10 adults over the age of 18 have now received at least one dose of the vaccine, she said.

“I don’t want to brag, but we reached that milestone last week,” she said.

She called it a “big credit” to the health commissioner, Dr.Lawrence Eisentein, as well as the hospital and healthcare systems.

County officials are seeing the efficacy of the vaccine in real-time, Curran said, noting that in the past four days no one has died due to COVID-19, and hospitalizations have declined 85 % since the beginning of the year.

The county has moved forward with new vaccination guidelines, which have opened up eligibility to include 12 to 15 year olds, Curran said. Vaccinations opened up at Nassau County Community College, as well as state sites like Jones Beach State Park, and SUNY Old Westbury on Thursday.

“The vaccine is about getting our lives back,” she said. “I am not wearing a mask right now. We are outside; I am fully vaccinated. We were joking earlier saying, when you go up to someone, instead of saying your name, you are saying, “Hi, I am vaccinated. Who are you?’”

The county is also moving forward with its homebound senior vaccination program in which the police department’s police medics are distributing the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. So far, a little more than four out of five seniors are vaccinated county-wide, said Curran, who is encouraging any senior looking for a vaccine to call 516-227-9590, adding that they will be able to speak with a “live human being.”

“We will come to you,” she said.

County officials are also trying to get the word out to the homebound through their food distribution programs with Long Island Cares. Fliers in English and Spanish are being included with food packages, she said.

Curran said she believes children should also be allowed to move forward with their lives and has requested guidance on school protocols like mask-wearing, hybrid learning, graduations, and in-person proms from Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

“I think that the guidance is stale and it needs an update,” she said.