Health

With Hmptns, a new line of CBD products including Accabonac Harbor lotion, Two Mile Hollow extract, and Butter Lane tincture, two South Fork residents are seeking to add cachet to the burgeoning market for therapeutic treatments made from cannabinoids, chemical compounds derived from hemp.

Hospitals here and across the state are preparing for a second surge of Covid-19 patients as case numbers continue to climb, and also awaiting the first round of vaccines, which will go to front-line health workers. Governor Cuomo has mandated hospitals increase bed capacity by at least 25 percent, and Stony Brook Southampton Hospital has said it is prepared to double capacity as needed.

Statistics are showing that schools with Covid-19 protocols in place are among the safest places for children to be, but remaining open for in-person classes may depend on staffing. "If we close, that will be the reason we have to close -- that we don't have enough staff to cover classes," the East Hampton School District superintendent said.

Best Pizza and Dive Bar on Napeague is among the latest round of 36 restaurants in New York State that have had their liquor licenses suspended for alleged violations of public health laws instituted under Covid-19.

The Bridgehampton School has quarantined one of its two sixth-grade classes for 14 days — 14 out of the 18 students that make up the whole sixth grade — after the administration learned a student in that grade has tested positive for Covid-19. Ten staff members are also quarantined, according to an announcement from the school district on Sunday.

New York State is closely watching hospital capacity because it is the primary vehicle of defense until the Covid-19 vaccines can be widely administered. "If our hospital capacity becomes critical, we're going to close down that region, period," Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said.

The East Hampton School District tested 207 students and staff members for Covid-19 on Friday — and turned up zero positive results.

Now that multiple pharmaceutical companies have developed Covid-19 vaccines, federal and state officials are putting together plans for the distribution of those vaccines. However, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Tuesday said he has identified three major obstacles in the way of fair distribution among the general population.

One of the most common questions people are asking physicians right now is if and when they should consider being tested for the novel coronavirus that causes Covid-19. It's understandable that people have questions about this, not just because the pandemic continues to rage on, but also because our understanding of how this virus works has continued to change as we learn more and more.

Thanksgiving wasn't just a one-day holiday, in the eyes of Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo. It marked the start of 37 days of dangerous revelry — 37 days in which state and local officials are predicting Covid-19 infection rates will surge as people shop, gather, travel, and celebrate.

Governor Cuomo and Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone both said they expect another surge in Covid-19 infections in the 10 days following the holiday, and looked ahead to what they each said they hope will be a more normal Thanksgiving next year.

From online laboratory simulations to individual sets of science supplies to constant cleaning of equipment, teaching and learning science amid the Covid-19 pandemic has been one big experiment in itself for local educators and students. In normal times students would be able to work in groups, clustered around a table sharing lab equipment like beakers, burners, and microscopes — but these are not normal times.