Health
Health officials recommend additional dose of updated COVID-19 vaccine for people 65+
The CDC has issued updated, relaxed guidance for people infected with COVID-19, which it says is “no longer the emergency that it once was,” but also recommends adults 65 and older get another dose of the updated vaccine.
Health
Updated Covid-19 vaccine boosters now available; new shots tailored for Omicron variants
The updated COVID-19 vaccine boosters are designed to add Omicron BA.4 and BA.5 variants and bolster previous vaccination protection. They shots are available locally at Walgreens pharmacies and Costco.
Health
N.Y. health care workers will be required to take COVID-19 vaccine boosters, Hochul says
Health care workers in New York State will be required to take a COVID-19 vaccine booster shot when they are eligible, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced today.
Health
COVID-19 vaccines for kids 5-11 available in Riverhead Sunday
Appointments to vaccinate kids ages 5-11 against the coronavirus are available in Riverhead through Peconic Bay Medical Center.
News
State warns against scammers targeting COVID-19 vaccine recipients
Using text messages, scammers are attempting to impersonate the NYS Department of Health and tell text message recipients they are required to enter their information to validate their vaccination status. The text messages link to fraudulent sites. Anyone who receives such a text message should delete it right away.
News
Vaccine rights event cosponsored by Giglio is scheduled, then quickly canceled
An event in Riverhead planned by Assemblywoman Jodi Giglio and another state lawmaker, advertised as an “informational meeting about your constitutional rights regarding vaccinations and vaccine mandates” was canceled after social media posts condemned the event for hosting representatives of an anti-vaccine pseudoscience group.
Health
COVID test positivity rate in Suffolk’s school-age children was 67% higher than overall county rate during first month of school
Since the beginning of the school year, 2,818 Suffolk children ages 5-17 have tested positive for COVID-19 — a 7.2% test positivity rate for 39,170 tests since Sept. 1 — more than 67% higher than the average test positivity rate in Suffolk overall since Sept. 1, which was 4.3%.
Health
New York officials worry vaccine mandate will drive healthcare worker shortage
State lawmakers on the East End say they fear an impending staffing crisis in local hospitals and nursing homes due to vaccine resistance among workers.
News
Protest outside Riverhead hospital draws crowd of vaccine mandate opponents
Protesters against the state's vaccine mandate for health care workers took to the street on Route 58 in Riverhead Saturday, lining up around the traffic circle near Peconic Bay Medical Center.
Health
FDA grants full approval to Pfizer vaccine
The Food and Drug Administration has granted full approval to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people ages 16 and older.