Immediately after being sworn into office on Monday, the newly elected mayor of Hempstead village, Waylyn Hobbs Jr, called for improved access to the coronavirus vaccine for the community’s residents.
Hempstead has been one of the hardest-hit communities on Long Island amid the coronavirus pandemic, which is why Hobbs made tackling the virus a top priority.
“We are looking to move forward in making sure that we get better distribution when it comes to the vaccine” Hobbs said.
The village currently has more than 3,800 COVID-19 cases, the second most in Nassau County after Levittown, which counted more than 5,000 cases as of Monday, according to county data. The two communities rank fifth and sixth for most number of cases on Long Island after Brentwood, Central Islip, West Babylon, and Coram, according to Suffolk County health data.
“I’m asking again, our governor when he comes up with pop-up locations please give us enough notice so that we make sure when it happens in Hempstead that the residents of Hempstead get the shots before people outside of Hempstead,” Hobbs said.
He added that ample notice for the vaccine is mandatory in order to reach out to residents, whether it be through sending out mailings, robocalls, or online.
Making vaccinations available to seniors was another key point for Mayor Hobbs.
“We’ll make sure that we can reach out to our senior homes that we can reach out to our seniors in the village of Hempstead and make sure they receive this vaccination,” he said.
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