(Credit: Tara Smith)
With a successful on-Island COVID-19 vaccine administration on Feb. 26, town officials continue to push for another opportunity to vaccinate additional residents. Of the 503 people who received their first vaccination Friday, 330 were seniors, Deputy Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams said.
They are all slated for a second inoculation on March 19 when the school will again serve as a site for the vaccinations.
But for those who are eligible but did not receive their initial doses, plans call for screening so a single phone call can be made to confirm a specific time if the town gets approval for a another round of vaccines.
Vaccines to be distributed at Shelter Island School on Friday timesreview.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from timesreview.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Ready, set, inoculate; town and school ready for vaccine distribution Shelter Island School. (Credit: Ambrose Clancy)
Approximately 500 Islanders will get their first COVID-19 inoculations Friday at Shelter Island School where the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine is to be administered.
Town and school officials have been working in the past few days to get the approval for an on-Island administration of the vaccine and lining up appointments for people.
This round of inoculations will go only to Shelter Island residents, including seniors 65 and older, first responders, employees who work with the public, teachers, grocery store employees and restaurant staffs who are eligible and want the vaccine.
Shelter Island Town Hall (Credit: Tara Smith)
Shelter Island is prepared to schedule appointments and provide all logistical necessities needed to provide COVID-19 vaccines to residents, but what it lacks is the vaccine. That was the message Tuesday from town officials.
Police Chief Jim Read said school officials are prepared to schedule classes virtually so that the building could accommodate vaccinations. He said the town would handle scheduling of appointments and arrange for whatever number of professionals would be needed to administer the inoculations.
It can also provide a freezer or refrigeration unit for vaccines and any other requirements the federal, state or county officials might impose. Camp Quinipet has also offered space to administer vaccines, Supervisor Gerry Siller said.
(Credit: Don Bindler)
Although the current path of the storm bearing down on the tri-state area is expected to spare Shelter Island from the worst of its wrath, Police Chief Jim Read, who leads emergency responses for the town, told the Town Board Tuesday he and his team are prepared.
PSEG has said a crew will be on the Island Wednesday to respond to any outages and can augment its workforce should the storm change course and do more damage than expected.
“PSEG has been a great support for our community,” Chief Read said.
Still, he worries that high winds could bring down power lines. Another worry is if the Island experiences ice on those lines, they become weighed down and could break, causing power outages.