Coronavirus

Pandemic-related restrictions on restaurants, gyms, offices, casinos, and catered events, will be relaxed the coming weeks in New York, a direct result of improving Covid rates in the state, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said Wednesday.

Last week, the news broke that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Federal Drug Administration here in the United States had called for a pause in administration of the single-dose Johnson and Johnson Covid-19 vaccine following reports of blood clots after administration of this vaccine.

Covid-19 infection rates and hospitalizations statewide have returned to pre-holiday season levels, which means further steps toward reopening can take place.

East Hampton Town is seeking additional volunteers to help staff a first-dose vaccination clinic on Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. at its Center for Humanities on Stephen Hand's Path. Those interested have been asked to call Supervisor Peter Van Scoyoc's office on Friday.

Before there was the Covid-19 pandemic, there was the drug epidemic — a health and social battle that was ongoing when the virus arrived — and experts say that Covid-19 has worsened the problem of substance abuse.

For elderly residents still in need of a Covid-19 vaccination, including the homebound and those lacking the computer skills needed to schedule an appointment, East Hampton Town is offering help through the Human Services Department, and other organizations are also looking to help.

A desire to know something for certain is particularly evident in medicine. However, there is always that small opportunity for rainy days and tornadoes, in medicine as in everything else. Nothing is absolute.

This year, high school seniors can expect graduation ceremonies that inch closer to the traditional norms of past years, thanks to new guidelines announced by New York's governor on Monday which expand capacity over 2020's limitations.

Single moms, who are among those hit hard by the pandemic, have a lot on their plates. To help them out, the organization There's Some Good News is donating wholesome meals from Honest Plate and providing individualized support to mothers under stress. 

Several medical studies have shown the power of gratitude. I am grateful for every single nurse, certified nursing assistant, technician, sanitary worker, cafeteria worker, and staff member in the hospitals where I work who did not give an inch in this fight, who offered me weary smiles and kind words after long shifts.

A proposal that would allow outdoor dining to become a post-pandemic fixture in East Hampton Village's commercial district and at its historic inns was introduced at a village board meeting on Thursday and will be the subject of a public hearing on Friday, April 16. 

For people who have been fully vaccinated for Covid-19, Staples is currently offering free lamination of vaccine identification cards.