New York State’s mass Covid-19 vaccination site at Jones Beach will end operations on July 19, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced on Monday.
That means New Yorkers can drive up to the site for just one more week to get vaccinated against Covid-19. Jones Beach State Park was one of the first mass vaccination sites to open on Long Island in mid-January. The state will now focus on smaller, targeted vaccine initiatives.
“As our vaccination efforts continue across the state, we are continuing to target communities that have lower vaccination rates and using every tool at our disposal to make the vaccine accessible to every New Yorker,” Cuomo said. “In line with this strategy, the downscaling of our mass vaccination sites is proceeding as planned and we are shifting resources to where they are most needed, so we can get more shots into people’s arms and defeat this virus once and for all.”
Nassau County has one of the highest vaccination rates in the state, with about 80 percent of the adult population having received at least one dose and about 67 percent of all residents with at least one shot.
About a month ago, in mid-June, the state also began winding down Covid-19 testing at Jones Beach after the demand for testing dropped about 88 percent between January and May.
“Since our nation-leading testing program began in March 2020, over 57 million tests have been conducted in New York State, with 1.6 million at our drive-through sites,” Cuomo said. “This incredible effort was made possible through partnerships with our state agencies, their dedicated workforce, health care providers and the National Guard.”
New York State’s 7-day average Covid-19 positivity rate is .88 percent, while Long Island’s is .96 percent. There was one death from Covid-19 in the state yesterday.
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