Supervisor Gerry Siller confirmed Wednesday that eligible Shelter Islanders can get COVID vaccines here this Friday. Stony Brook Medicine is setting up a point of distribution (POD) at the school and will give first doses to 500 Islanders, starting with those age 65+ who have signed up with the Town’s Senior Services Department.
After appointments are provided to eligible seniors, the Town will offer vaccines to those who fit New York State’s Phase 1-B criteria, which includes first responders and public-facing workers such as teachers, grocery store clerks and restaurant staff; and to those who fit the Phase 1-C criteria, people of any age 16+ with certain medical conditions.
“If you’re not on the list please call up the Senior Center and get yourself on the list,” Siller says.
To join, send an email to sara.mundy@shelterislandtown.us or call the Senior Center at 631-749-1059. If the phone lines are busy, try again. The Town has assigned additional staff to handle the expected call volume, Siller said.
The local POD will be set up at the school on Friday, February 26 from 9 AM to 6 PM. To qualify, you must be able to receive the second dose of the vaccine at the same location on Friday, March 19.
The shots to be distributed are the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine, Siller said.
Who is eligible
Anyone age 65+ is eligible to receive vaccinations under the state’s criteria for Phase 1 A; certain public-facing workers (emergency responders, teachers, restaurant workers, for example) fall under Phase 1-B; and New Yorkers age 16 and older fall under Phase 1C if they have these health conditions:
- Cancer (current or in remission, including 9/11-related cancers)
- Chronic kidney disease
- Pulmonary Disease, including but not limited to, COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), asthma (moderate-to-severe), pulmonary fibrosis, cystic fibrosis, and 9/11 related pulmonary diseases
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities including Down Syndrome
- Heart conditions, including but not limited to heart failure, coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathies, or hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) including but not limited to solid organ transplant or from blood or bone marrow transplant, immune deficiencies, HIV, use of corticosteroids, use of other immune weakening medicines, or other causes
- Severe Obesity (BMI 40 kg/m2), Obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 30 kg/m2 or higher but < 40 kg/m2)
- Pregnancy
- Sickle cell disease or Thalassemia
- Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus
- Cerebrovascular disease (affects blood vessels and blood supply to the brain)
- Neurologic conditions including but not limited to Alzheimer’s Disease or dementia
- Liver disease
Find the latest criteria on the state vaccine website.
Town will assign appointments
Siller said the Town would be assigning appointments on Thursday for Friday’s distribution at the Shelter Island School. The school superintendent has announced that classes will be conducted remotely on the two designated Fridays to make way for the vaccination program.
Siller, who has been working closely with other Town officials to set up this local POD, says if there are doses leftover, the Town will call on short notice anyone remaining on a waitlist being developed should requests for appointments exceed supply.
Once you’re contacted with an appointment time, the Town will provide you with any required forms and give you a list of information that you should bring along.
Please DO NOT show up at the school without an appointment; you will not be permitted to enter. All those arriving for appointments must wear masks and practice social distancing.
The Town has been working for weeks to bring a vaccine POD to the Island, given the concentration of seniors living here and the reluctance of Islanders to leave this place with few novel coronavirus cases to travel for vaccines to places with more widespread COVID-19.
About 400 people had asked to be included in the list as of early Wednesday, Siller said.
Volunteers sought
Some people may be unable to drive themselves to their appointments, or need other assistance. If you are able to volunteer to help with driving or other functions relating to this effort, send an email to Sara Mundy at sara.mundy@shelterislandtown.us with “I can volunteer” in the subject line.
On Tuesday, Deputy Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams noted that is also important for anyone who is on the list but has already gotten a vaccine to please call and remove their name from the list.
About the vaccine
The most commonly reported side effects of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which typically lasted several days, were pain at the injection site, tiredness, headache, muscle pain, chills, joint pain, and fever.
Reportedly, more people experienced these side effects after the second dose than after the first dose. For this reason, vaccination providers will notify recipients to expect that there may be some side effects after either dose, but even more so after the second dose.
The vaccine was granted an emergency use authorization by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration on December 11, 2020. It has to be kept under very cold storage during shipment, with vials thawed just hours before injection. Once the vial is thawed, all vaccine must be used or discarded.
Some providers have found they can get more than the expected number of doses from each vial, which could mean more shots could be available than the 500 planned for on Friday. Siller says Town staff will make calls to those on the waitlist, should extra doses be available.
