Coronavirus

Gov. Kathy Hochul urged parents to have their children vaccinated against Covid-19 while schools are closed this week, noting a rise in pediatric hospitalizations as the infection rates across the state climb ever higher, and for those who are ready, there's a pediatric vaccine clinic planned at the Children's Museum of the East End next week.

If there’s any doubt that people are concerned about rising Covid-19 numbers on the South Fork, countywide, and across the state, one need only drive by East Hampton Town’s Covid testing site on Stephen Hand’s Path. The facility ran out of tests and closed early on Tuesday, and Wednesday morning, the line of people waiting for tests was 50 cars long.

The omicron variant of Covid-19, known to be more contagious than previous variants, is causing virus cases and hospitalizations to rise fast.

Starting Monday, Dec. 20, East Hampton Town's Covid-19 testing will move to the East Hampton Center for Humanity, the former Child Development Center of the Hamptons, at 110 Stephen Hand's Path.

Experts from Stony Brook Medicine’s Post-Covid Clinic will present “Post-Covid: In It for the Long Haul,” a livestream event examining long-term effects and approaches to care, on Tuesday at 4:45 p.m.

In discussions with patients about whether to get vaccinated against Covid-19, the people who express hesitation worry that the risks of the vaccinations outweigh either the risk from being infected with Covid-19 or the risk to communities by allowing continued spread of the virus. Yet there are plenty of things we do everyday without a second thought that are far riskier.

In New York State as of Monday, Dec. 13, masks will be required in all indoor public places unless businesses or venues implement a vaccine requirement. The action comes amid yet another surge in Covid-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, with Suffolk County's seven-day average of positive tests reaching 6.5 percent on Dec. 8.

Even though Stony Brook Southampton Hospital has the largest number of admitted Covid-19 patients it has seen in about two months — 11 people as of Tuesday afternoon, none in the intensive care unit — there is good news to be had, the hospital’s chief medical officer said this week.

With demand for Covid-19 vaccinations continuing to be high, East Hampton Town has added several additional vaccination clinics to its calendar this month. 

What had been an anticipated dip in high school graduation rates brought on by the Covid-19 pandemic across the United States largely did not come to pass in school districts on the eastern end of the South Fork, data from the last two school years show.

People seeking Covid-19 vaccines have two new upcoming opportunities at East Hampton Town Hall: on Monday and Wednesday. Appointments for clinics later in the month are already spoken for.

Testing for Covid-19 has resumed at the East Hampton Town Hall campus, now provided by CareONE Concierge. Appointments are not required. Testing is no longer being offered at the former Child Development Center of the Hamptons on Stephen Hand's Path.