Nassau Coronavirus: Virus Rages As Vaccine Rollout Begins

Massapequa NY

05 January, 2021

12:42 PM

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NASSAU COUNTY, NY — As the distribution of the coronavirus vaccine continued Tuesday, Nassau County has reported more than 1,000 cases a day and deaths have escalated. December was the worst month for new coronavirus cases in Nassau County. In 2020, Nassau had 89,470 confirmed cases of the virus, 28,298 of which were recorded in December. That is 31.6 percent of the year's total. The worst day of the month was Dec. 30, when 1,608 cases were reported — more than the entire months of June, July or August. For the first three days of January, Nassau County confirmed 3,646 cases of the virus and 27 deaths. According to Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, there were 703 people hospitalized with the virus at Nassau's 11 hospitals; 87 of them were in intensive care and 58 were on ventilators. "We're seeing this uptake from the holidays," Curran said Tuesday. "We saw it after Halloween, Thanksgiving, and now after the winter holidays." But there is a glimmer of hope: Tuesday marked the opening of the county's first vaccine distribution center at Nassau Community College. The center will distribute 115 vaccines Tuesday, Curran said, adding the goal is for the center to distribute 400 vaccines a day. Check your eligibility for the coronavirus vaccine in Nassau County Nassau University Medical Center on Tuesday ramped up its vaccine distribution, a day after it was criticized by Gov. Andrew Cuomo for only having administered 19 percent of the vaccine it was delivered — among the lowest in the state. According to Curran, the center as of Tuesday has administered 34 percent of its vaccine. "I saw the operation they have going down there," Curran said. "They're bustling. They're getting shots in the arm." Getting shots in the arm is what many people are looking forward to, but distribution of the vaccine is still limited, mainly to health care workers. Curran wrote a letter to Cuomo asking the state, which is in charge of vaccine distribution, to open up the eligibility to all first responders, including police officers, firefighters and corrections officers. As more people become eligible for the vaccine, Curran said the county may open more distribution centers. By vaccinating just 400 people a day, it would take more than nine years to inoculate the county's 1.3 million residents, she said. "As eligibility opens, hopefully we'll get more vaccine and we'll be able to ramp it up," Curran said. Despite the vaccine's roll-out, the virus still rages across Nassau County. A total of 31 communities have recorded at least 1,000 cases of the virus since the outbreak began. On Dec. 29, that number was 18. Here are the latest statistics for coronavirus cases by community, according to information from the county: Albertson: 235Atlantic Beach: 121Baldwin: 1,462Baldwin Harbor: 473Barnum Island: 155Baxter Estates: 53Bay Park: 119Bayville: 388Bellerose: 68Bellerose Terrace: 135Bellmore: 915Bethpage: 903Brookville: 143Carle Place: 298Cedarhurst: 575Centre Island: 8Cove Neck: 11East Atlantic Beach: 128East Hills: 277East Massapequa: 1,102East Meadow: 2,423East Norwich: 147East Rockaway: 608East Williston: 107Elmont: 2,549Farmingdale: 484Floral Park: 813Flower Hill: 228Franklin Square: 2,028Freeport: 3,299Garden City: 1,009Garden City Park: 412Garden City South: 186Glen Cove: 2,016Glen Head: 285Glenwood Landing: 164Great Neck: 839Great Neck Estates: 161Great Neck Gardens: 56Great Neck Plaza: 416Greenvale: 42Harbor Hills: 43Harbor Isle: 95Hempstead: 3,869Herricks: 224Hewlett: 446Hewlett Bay Park: 20Hewlett Harbor: 110Hewlett Neck: 30Hicksville: 2,637Inwood: 809Island Park: 413Jericho: 626Kensington: 49Kings Point: 472Lake Success: 139Lakeview: 383Lattingtown: 81Laurel Hollow: 76Lawrence: 742Levittown: 3,058Lido Beach: 159Locust Valley: 167Long Beach: 2,100Lynbrook: 1,101Malverne: 477Malverne Oaks: 28Manhasset: 404Manhasset Hills: 176Manorhaven: 288Massapequa: 1,329Massapequa Park: 1,041Mattinecock: 29Merrick: 1,064Mill Neck: 44Mineola: 1,134Munsey Park: 96Muttontown: 160New Cassel: 1,006New Hyde Park: 601North Bellmore: 1,083North Hills: 239North Lynbrook: 44North Massapequa: 1,057North Merrick: 639North New Hyde Park: 924North Valley Stream: 1,160North Wantagh: 693Oceanside: 1,772Old Bethpage: 270Old Brookville: 118Old Westbury: 170Oyster Bay: 395Oyster Bay Cove: 141Plainedge: 547Plainview: 1,259Plandome: 48Plandome Heights: 60Plandome Manor: 33Point Lookout: 73Port Washington: 651Port Washington North: 113Rockville Centre: 1,263Roosevelt: 1,292Roslyn: 209Roslyn Estates: 55Roslyn Harbor: 68Roslyn Heights: 378Russell Gardens: 36Saddle Rock: 75Saddle Rock Estates: 31Salisbury: 629Sands Point: 132Sea Cliff: 216Seaford: 900Searingtown: 225South Farmingdale: 803South Floral Park: 78South Hempstead: 192South Valley Stream: 375Stewart Manor: 111Syosset: 663Thomaston: 100Uniondale: 2,428University Gardens: 24Upper Brookville: 95Valley Stream: 2,551Wantagh: 1,147West Hempstead: 1,229Westbury: 1,062Williston Park: 366Woodbury: 542Woodmere: 1,517Woodsburgh: 67