Experts hope approval convinces the vaccine-hesitant to get the shot
Long Island medical experts hailed the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s full approval of the Pfizer vaccine, saying they hope it leads to more people getting their shots.
At the same time, human resources consultants said they expect more companies to mandate shots — with an increasing number of employers nationwide already doing so. (See this updated list for where vaccines are required.)
The approval by the FDA comes as COVID-19 cases surge across Long Island and throughout the country because of the delta variant. It marks the first licensing of a vaccine for the coronavirus — until now the Pfizer-BioNTech shot has been used under emergency authorization.
Some Long Island teacher union officials said the full approval would not have a big impact since most of their members are already vaccinated. Others said they hoped the full approval would provide sufficient encouragement to the hesitant for mandates to be avoided.
Read more from this story by Newsday’s Bart Jones.
The number of new positives reported today: 362 in Nassau, 409 in Suffolk, 1,522 in New York City and 3,816 statewide.
Search a map of vaccination rates, new cases and other charts showing the latest local trends in vaccinations, testing, hospitalizations, deaths and more.
Vaccines required for all NYC public school employees
The New York City Department of Health will require all city public school workers to get at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Sept. 27, Mayor Bill de Blasio said Monday.
The mandate would apply to all 148,000 Department of Education workers, including teachers, administrators, custodial staff and cafeteria workers, reports Newsday’s Vera Chinese. School begins Sept. 13.
The city had previously said teachers — like other city employees — would have to get the shots or get tested weekly.
Hochul visits LI, says ‘be ready’ for school mask mandates
Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Friday during a Long Island visit that “people should be ready” for her to issue statewide mask mandates in schools after she’s sworn in Tuesday, Newsday’s John Asbury reports.
Hochul said she has the authority to impose mask mandates through the state Department of Health without issuing an emergency order, but must wait until she’s sworn in as governor at midnight Tuesday morning.
“I have done the due diligence to determine the authority in the department of health and I expect to make an announcement very shortly on Tuesday,” Hochul said.
Plus: Long Island school districts had already started announcing plans for reopening this fall, including mask policies. We have a running list of some districts’ policies we know of so far.
Officials seek increased penalties for fake vaccination cards
On Long Island, there are anecdotes, rumors and worries about illegitimate vaccine cards, Newsday’s Matthew Chayes reports, but just one tangible allegation.
In May, a CVS worker was allegedly found in Westbury with dozens of the cards, some with only the name and date of birth blank. There have been no such cases since, spokesmen for the Nassau and Suffolk police departments said last week.
But some lawmakers say the problem will become more acute, as a growing number of entities are mandating the vaccine in order to participate in some activities and to enter some establishments.
“We need the deterrence factor, big time,” said state Sen. Todd Kaminsky, who voted for a recently-passed bill that makes falsifying coronavirus vaccine records a new felony — on top of existing laws punishing forgery and related crimes.
More to know
New York’s COVID-19 ban on residential foreclosures is set to end Aug. 31, and lawmakers and housing advocates are urging homeowners who fell behind on their mortgages to seek out other protections.
The Gateway theater is only admitting fully vaccinated audience members to its production of “Newsies,” which begins on Wednesday.
Three senators said on Thursday that they had tested positive for COVID-19 despite being vaccinated.
The Rev. Jesse Jackson, famed civil rights leader and two-time presidential candidate, and his wife were hospitalized after testing positive for the virus, according to a Saturday statement.
News for you
Farmers markets to look out for. The farmers market movement grew during the pandemic — as did home cooking — and this year, Long Island has 37 weekly markets, from Valley Stream to Montauk, Port Washington to Shelter Island. Check out this list.
Home décor stores that fit your look. Spending a lot of time at home has made many want to spruce up the look of our home spaces. Here’s a list of some Long Island shops to check out if you’re looking to replace some old pieces or completely redo your home.
The return of NYC events. Some of New York City’s most celebrated events, shows, parades and festivals are scheduled to resume this year after all of the 2020 shutdowns. Here are some to look out for.
This week on Newsday Live. Join us on Wednesday for a virtual discussion with local doctors about breakthrough infections and booster shots. Register here. And on Thursday, find out how teachers are preparing for the year ahead in this noon webinar.
Plus: Planning an event these days? Celebrity event planner Michael Russo discusses the latest tips and trends in this virtual discussion.
Commentary
Pushback in the anti-masking war. Columnist Michael Dobie writes for Newsday Opinion: A lot can be said about the campaign to stop school districts from mandating masks for students and staff.
One could note that the subset of Republican governors who have banned mask mandates in their states are hypocrites, each embracing the party’s loud championing of local control, especially local control of education — except apparently when it comes to wearing masks. Can’t trust those local boards of education who dare to put safety first.
One could note that anti-masking parents who loudly champion their “freedom” and right to make “personal choices” don’t understand our laws and Constitution. Freedom and personal choice are not unfettered; they entail responsibility. When your “freedom” to go maskless increases another’s chances of contracting a potentially debilitating or deadly disease, you deny them an actual constitutionally guaranteed right — the one about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Freedom has limits. No one has the “freedom” to drive drunk.
A pediatric nurse attending a recent stormy Tampa school board meeting where parents wearing “Freedom Over Fear” T-shirts blasted masks as “tyranny” and “oppression” referred to the scene as a “pandemic of sincere ignorance.” Pithy and perfect.
But the most mind-boggling aspect of this drive is the way the governors and parents seem willing to sacrifice children, theirs and ours, on the altar of their misguided culture war.
That’s not hyperbole. Keep reading.
Erin Serpico is an assistant web producer who joined Newsday in November 2018. Originally from New Jersey, she now covers community events and produces local content for newsday.com while also helping run the homepage.
