Another inoculation event unlikely for Island: Stony Brook Southampton campus is nearest site

Numbers of COVID cases are remaining stable, while hospitalizations of Shelter Island patients is declining, Police Chief Jim Read told the Town Board at Tuesday’s work session.

Suffolk County shows 50 Island cases while the chief has said he believes there have been about 70. That’s because some Island part-timers list their primary addresses elsewhere with the county.

With several New York State sites opening for vaccinations, it seems the Island will not have a site here for another round of inoculations.

The town website at shelterislandtown.us lists places residents can seek appointments. The nearest appears to be at the Stony Brook Southampton campus and was showing as filled as of Tuesday afternoon, according to Deputy Supervisor Amber Brach-Williams.

Her advice is to frequent the town website often and watch for openings and/or try to get an opening at a CVS Pharmacy on either the North or South forks.

The Southampton site is currently vaccinating 500 people a day; it’s expected to handle 1,000 inoculations per day, Ms. Brach Williams said.

Alternatively, some upstate areas have openings, but those, too, were showing as filled on Tuesday.

As more residents get inoculated, town officials are following Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s recommendations to what is considered safe and what should be avoided in terms of restaurants and activities.

Those, too, are relaxing a bit, although even after inoculations, people are being advised by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to continue to wear masks in public to protect themselves, their families, friends and others.

Supervisor Gerry Siller said while there won’t be a Memorial Day parade on the Island, there will be a commemoration of those who lost their lives in battle. To provide for social distancing, that event on May 31 will not be held at the American Legion Post. Instead, another site will be chosen shortly.

The supervisor awaits word from the governor on when the town can begin offering congregate lunches for seniors at Shelter Island Presbyterian Church on Mondays and Fridays and lunches at the Senior Center on Wednesdays. Anyone who attends will have to produce proof of vaccination, he said.

Chief Read is meeting with 10K organizers. He told the Town Board he hopes to be able to report by next week whether that event, typically held around the third week in June, can happen this year. If so, he will be looking at what restrictions would have to be set for an event that typically attracts about 1,000 participants but even more spectators.