Woman, 78, Vaccinated At Peconic Landing: 'I Was Just Ecstatic'

GREENPORT, NY — Joanne Barrett, 78, is a lung cancer survivor and a member of the Peconic Landing retirement community who received a coronavirus vaccination Thursday at the facility — and she couldn't be more thrilled.

"I couldn't wait to get there," she said. "I was ecstatic."

More than 600 coronavirus vaccinations were distributed at Peconic Landing in Greenport on Thursday. Stony Brook Medicine partnered with the Peconic Landing retirement community to bolster East End vaccination efforts —the vaccines were administered during the point of distribution event to Peconic Landing residents as well as members of the surrounding community.

Barrett described the past months, when Peconic Landing saw an early outbreak of Covid-19 cases in the spring — and 13 people died.

"It was extremely bizarre to know that you are vulnerable in the very type of place that this virus loves to attack," Barrett said. "That's a unique experience. I'm a pretty gutsy lady — I've survived a lot of things — but that struck me like a thunderbolt. There was nothing you could do about it; nobody knew what it was."

Waiting for the vaccination was "terribly vexing and frankly, confounding," she said. "We were all agitated and nervous because we could not get the vaccine here."

Barrett credited Peconic Landing President & CEO Robert Syron. "He was so dedicated to our well-being and so persistent in our interests," she said. "I'm grateful to him every day and to the whole staff."

On Thursday, Barrett said she had no hesitation whatsoever about getting the vaccination. "I was so excited. I couldn't wait to get there," she said.

In the past, she'd had the Prevnar vaccine because she is prone to bronchitis and pneumonia, and said she was eager for the coronavirus vaccine.

One of the best things, Barrett added, was seeing friends she hadn't seen in months, who were also there for vaccinations. "It was frustrating because everyone wanted to hug everyone. But we couldn't, so everyone was doing the elbow thing. We were all so happy."

When she's fully through the second dose, Barrett said she can't wait to see her stepchildren again, to go shopping in Greenport, to visit galleries, restaurants, and Puerto Rico — and to sit with her friends again in the dining hall at Peconic Landing.

In the meantime, Peconic Landing staff has organized socially distanced gatherings for six friends, about an hour at a time, with the chairs 6-feet apart and masks mandated.

Barrett thanked Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Senator Anthony Palumbo, and all involved who worked together to bring the one-day vaccination event to Peconic Landing. She also thanked Stony Brook Medicine. "I am so grateful," she said.

Barrett was also glad vaccinations were given to some residents from the community. "This is very good," she said. "This is one of the best things that could have happened. Yesterday was a huge lift up. It's a push forward, and we hadn't had anything like that in a long time. It was a great day."

Syron agreed: “After nearly a year of fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, this week marks a truly momentous occasion and a giant step forward for the East End. We have been advocating on behalf of our independent members and the greater East End community for many weeks, so it is a tremendous relief to see many of these individuals receive the vaccine that they have been so bravely and patiently waiting for," he said.

Syron also thanked Stony Brook Medicine, who provided the vaccine, and Palumbo "for helping to make this day possible. We are so grateful for this opportunity to offer some peace of mind to our members, their loved ones, and the greater community. There is still more work to be done, and we will continue to advocate for all of our neighbors on the East End who have not yet been vaccinated. It would be our honor to host another clinic here at Peconic Landing, and if given the chance, we will absolutely do so.”

Barrett also said she is thankful to have been residing at Peconic Landing during the pandemic. "I'm so lucky to live here. If I didn't live in Peconic Landing, I would've lost my mind."

The entire staff of Peconic Landing, she said, knew immediately what needed to be done to deal with a serious virus, closing the doors and doing what was necessary to keep residents safe and spirits lifted.

"The virus threw this whole country into chaos. It was scary. It wasn't comfortable, but I knew they knew what they were doing. I knew I was safe here. I told myself, 'I'm in good hands.'"

Friends at Peconic Landing were an invaluable support, Barrett said, calling one another and availing themselves with the programming staffers provided for them to watch daily, including the opera that Barrett and her friends normally enjoyed in the auditorium. During the pandemic, she and her friends watched the opera in their rooms and then talked on the phone afterward.

"That is the kind of thing that made it bearable," she said. "We are a support system for each other."

Describing Peconic Landing to members who hadn't lived there for as long as Barrett has, she said, "This is why we call it a family."

Friends and staff have gotten Barrett through the darkest of hours, including when she lost her husband Edward J. Barrett in 2015. "He was a jewel of a man," she said.

And now, as Peconic Landing members faced one of the greatest collective challenges of their lifetimes, staffers again were a beacon of light, Barrett said. "I feel so lucky to be here during this situation," she said. "I can't imagine what would have happened if I had been alone through all of this."

Across the board, dosage supply has been the greatest challenge in the vaccination rollout, with 7.1 million eligible and only 300,000 doses arriving each week in New York, Cuomo said.

The governor's office helped to connect the doses with the provider and residents.

"Our priority since day one has been vaccinating New Yorkers who are at higher risk, especially seniors and those living in congregate settings," Cuomo said in a statement to Patch. "When we heard that Peconic Landing was having trouble getting shots for some of their residents, we started working with Stony Brook on a solution — and I'm proud that this partnership will protect hundreds of seniors on the East End from COVID."

Currently, individuals 65 and older, doctors, nurses, healthcare workers, first responders, teachers, public transit workers, grocery store workers, and public safety workers — as well as taxi drivers, restaurant workers, and members of the developmentally disabled community, in municipalities that decide to include those three new groups — are now eligible.

On Friday, Cuomo announced that people with comorbidities and underlying conditions will be eligible for the vaccination beginning Feb. 15.

"The vaccination POD is the latest in Stony Brook Medicine's efforts to address the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on the elderly population on Long Island," organizers said.

Rep. Lee Zeldin called upon Cuomo this week to open vaccination sites on the East End, where currently, residents have had to drive for miles to receive a dosage.

On Wednesday, Cuomo announced that a pop-up vaccination site would open for one day in Hampton Bays, one of 35 created in underserved communities statewide.

Peconic Landing, like many nursing and congregate facilities statewide, has seen cases of the coronavirus, and losses, during the pandemic.