Health

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.

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.

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.

Fond memories of Bella Adlah, who lived and attended school here up until a few years ago, have led to a swell of support for her family following her diagnosis in June with functional neurological disorder, which causes daily seizures, loss of vision and ability to eat, and left her unable to talk above a whisper or use her limbs and torso from her shoulders down.

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. 

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.

As the weather grows colder, Covid-19 is once again on the upswing in New York, including in East Hampton Town and across Suffolk County, and health care professionals are pleading with the public to remain vigilant and, yes, get vaccinated if they have not yet done so.

East Hampton Town Hall will be the site of a pop-up Covid-19 vaccination clinic for people 12 and up on Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Vaccines will be administered in the main meeting room. Town Hall is at 159 Pantigo Road in East Hampton

Now that children 5 to 11 are eligible to receive Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine — the first that has been approved for pediatric administration in the United States — medical professionals and government officials here and across Long Island are quickly putting plans in place to meet families' needs.