RiverheadLOCAL

According to the Suffolk County Health Department. 731,857 Suffolk residents have received at least one vaccine dose — 49.4% of Suffolk’s total population — while 571,143 people have completed their vaccine series (38.5% percent of the county’s total population of 1.48 million.

The county said 61.7% of residents age 18 and older have received at least one dose.

All state-run mass vaccination sites are now offering walk-in vaccinations to all residents 16 and older.

Suffolk County is offering two vaccination clinics this coming week with no appointment necessary. You can find details here.

Homebound Suffolk residents can receive their vaccine at home. Interested persons should call 311 and give their name and number to 311 staff for a follow-up call to schedule a free vaccination at home.

There were 1,218 new confirmed coronavirus cases in Suffolk County this week, where the testing percent-positive rate averaged 1.5% over the past seven days.

Three were 110 new hospital admissions and 135 discharges this week. Inpatient COVID-19 hospitalizations averaged 168 people over the past seven days.

There were 16 COVID-19 fatalities reported in Suffolk this week.

There were 17,835 new COVID-19 cases confirmed statewide this week, according to N.Y. State Department of Health data. The testing percent-positive rate averaged 1.47% over the past seven days, according to the data.

Over the past seven days an average of 2,489 individuals were hospitalized with COVID-19. There were 220 deaths.

Hospitals in the Stony Brook Medicine healthcare system will begin a limited visitation process on Tuesday, May 4, Stony Brook Medicine officials announced today. General visitation on the inpatient units will allow one visitor over the age of 18 between the hours of 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. or 4 to 6 pm. COVID-19 safety guidelines must also be followed for visitation.

The decision was made in light of declining COVID-19 incidence rates both within Stony Brook Medicine hospitals and across Suffolk County, officials said.

"The health and safety of our staff, patients and visitors is our number one priority. We know visitors and loved ones play an essential role in the healing and recovery process of our patients, and we look forward to welcoming them once again," the health system said in a statement.

The seven-day average COVID test positivity rate was 2.1% in Suffolk County on Thursday — there were 289 positive results out of 14,614 test results reported.

Since March 2020, there have been 197,095 total cases reported in Suffolk County and 3,348 total fatalities.

COVID-19 testing percent positive rates continue to decline statewide, according to data released by the governor's office. The statewide testing percent positive rate was 1.76% on Thursday, the lowest it's been since Nov. 3. The seven-day rate was 1.93%, the lowest since Nov. 6. The seven-day statewide positivity rate has declined for 25 consecutive days.

Rite Aid is now offering COVID-19 vaccinations at all locations in 17 states, including New York.

Rite Aid’s certified immunizing pharmacists are currently administering the Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) vaccines.

Individuals ages 18 and over can schedule appointments using the Rite Aid scheduling tool found at www.RiteAid.com/covid-19. Those ages 16 and 17 can schedule an appointment with guardian consent at any store administering the Pfizer vaccine by contacting the store’s pharmacy directly. Those stores can be found here. 

Rite Aid is now also accommodating walk-in vaccines on a limited basis in every store. Walk-ins allow Rite Aid to better support customers that may not have access to internet for scheduling, while also increasing flexibility for customers. 

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is extending the face mask requirement for individuals across all transportation networks throughout the United States, including at airports, onboard commercial aircraft, on over-the-road buses, and on commuter bus and rail systems through Sept. 13.

TSA’s initial face mask requirement went into effect on Feb. 1 with an expiration date of May 11. 

The CDC recently announced that fully vaccinated travelers with an FDA-authorized vaccine can travel safely within the U.S., but the CDC guidelines still require individuals to wear a face mask, socially distance, and wash their hands or use hand sanitizer. The extension of the face mask requirement is consistent with this most recent CDC guidance.

Nearly 45% of all New Yorkers have received at least one vaccine dose, the governor's office announced today. Roughly 32% have completed their vaccine series. On Long Island, 1.1 million residents have had at least one dose and 765,655 have completed their vaccine series.

As of this morning, there are still more than 500 vaccine appointment slots available at Peconic Bay Medical Center's Entenmann Campus on West Second Street in Riverhead. To check availability and book an appointment, visit the Northwell Health website.

Suffolk County's positive COVID-19 test rate was 2.4% April 20, the lowest it's been since Nov. 9. There were 303 positives in 12,542 test results reported.

There were 283 COVID hospitalizations in Suffolk as of April 20, according to a report provided yesterday by the Suffolk County Department of Health Services. Sixty-seven of those patients were in intensive care units.

There was one fatality Tuesday.

Thirty percent of Suffolk County's 1.48 million residents have completed their full vaccine series as of April 20, according to the Suffolk County Department of Health Services.

Information on vaccine eligibility and where appointments are available.