36 LONGISLANDPRESS.COM • MAY 2021
PRESS HEALTH
COVID-19 ROUNDUP
LATEST PANDEMIC HEADLINES
STATE-RUN VAX SITES TO
ACCEPT WALK-INS
All state-run mass vaccination sites
starting on April 29 did not require
an appointment, and every location
will have the capacity to accommodate
every New Yorker, 16 and up, looking
to get inoculated against Covid-19, Gov.
Andrew Cuomo announced.
Local jurisdictions have the freedom to
decide for themselves whether or not to
make vaccinations walk-in as opposed
to requiring appointments made online
— which has proven to be an obstacle
for many New Yorkers facing technical
barriers.
While Cuomo said he believed the state
was making progress in deploying the
vaccine, things are slowing down not
because of distribution but because of
reduced demand.
-Mark Hallum
COVID-19 BOOSTER SHOTS
EYED
The United States is preparing for the
possibility that a booster shot will be
needed between nine to 12 months after
people are initially vaccinated against
Covid-19, a White House official said on
April 15.
While the duration of immunity after
vaccination is being studied, booster
vaccines could be needed, Dr. David
Kessler, chief science officer for President
Joe Biden’s Covid-19 response task
force, told a congressional committee
meeting.
“The current thinking is those who are
more vulnerable will have to go first,”
he said.
Meanwhile, Pfizer Inc. Chief Executive
Dr. Albert Bourla said people will “likely”
need a third booster dose of Covid-19
vaccines within 12 months and could
need annual shots, CNBC reported,
based on his comments from April 1.
-Reuters
NY DINING CURFEWS TO
BE LIFTED IN MAY
The midnight curfew for restaurants
will be lifted on May 17 for outdoor dining
and May 31 for indoor dining, Gov.
Andrew Cuomo announced on April 28.
In addition, the 1 a.m. curfew for catered
events that require proof of vaccination
Johnson & Johnson's coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccines are seen at Northwell Health's South Shore University
or a recent, negative Covid-19 test will be
lifted on May 17. All catered event curfews
will be lifted on May 31, and catered
events can resume in residences on May
3 while following state guidance.
“Everything we’ve been doing is working
— all the arrows are pointing in the
right direction and now we’re able to
increase economic activity even more,”
Cuomo said in a statement. “Lifting
these restrictions for restaurants, bars,
and catering companies will allow these
businesses that have been devastated by
the pandemic to begin to recover as we
return to a new normal in a post-pandemic
world.
“To be clear: we will only be able to
maintain this progress if everyone gets
the COVID vaccine,” he added. “It is the
weapon that will the war and we need
everyone to take it; otherwise, we risk
going backward.”
Restaurants are not the only industry
seeing an easing of Covid-19 restrictions.
On Monday, Cuomo announced
capacity increases at casinos and gaming
facilities, which will go from 25 to
50 percent; gyms and fitness centers,
which will go from 33 to 50 percent;
and offices, which will go from 50 to 75
percent, on May 15. Restaurants on Long
Island remain at 75 percent capacity.
-Briana Bonfiglio
UK VARIANT NOW MOST
COMMON IN US
The highly contagious variant of
Covid-19 first discovered in the United
Kingdom has become the most common
strain of the virus in the United States as
cases continue to climb, a top U.S. health
official said on April 7.
The strain, known as B.1.1.7, was identified
in Britain last fall and has since
been detected in 52 states and jurisdictions
of the United States, U.S. Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention
Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky told
reporters at a White House briefing.
U.S. public health officials have urged
Americans to get vaccinated as soon as
possible in part to prevent new variants
of the novel coronavirus from spreading.
The United States has also detected cases
of a variant first discovered in South
Africa that is thought to be resistant to
some Covid-19 vaccines and treatments.
That strain has been found in 36 U.S.
jurisdictions, according to federal data
last updated on April 7.
-Reuters
NY VENUES GET
CAPACITY BOOST
More New York State venues are going
to reopen as we head further into
spring.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on
April 19 that museums and zoos will be
able to open at 50 percent capacity on
April 26. Movie theaters will be able
to open at 33 percent on April 26, and
indoor large sports arenas, such as
Madison Square Garden and Barclays
Center, will be able to open at 25 percent
on May 19.
“We’re not just building back New York,
we’re building it back better than ever
before,” Cuomo said.
-Emily Davenport
For more coronavirus coverage visit
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Hospital in Bay Shore on March 3, 2021. (REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton)
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