Villages

After much lobbying by local officials, a state-run site for Covid vaccinations will soon be opening on the campus of Stony Brook Southampton.

It was one of those things you think could happen anywhere but in your own town, but Covid-19 proved it would not discriminate, starting with its official arrival here in March 2020, when the county's first Covid-19 patient was admitted to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital.

East Hampton Town and Stony Brook Medicine are offering Covid vaccines today, Friday, March 5, for those 65 years or older at the East Hampton Town clinic on Stephen Hand's Path. Several hundred appointments were still available as of Friday morning.

From the parking lot in the mall to the emergency room in the hospital, community members are showing how kindness — any time, any place, to anyone — can be a real shot in the arm during the pandemic.

All too often, it seems, the story of Covid-19 is told through statistics and trends. Beyond those numbers are hundreds of thousands of human beings — real people — who lost their lives to the pandemic across the world. As told to The Star by their families, here are some of their stories from the East End.

It's hard to find any sector of society that wasn't impacted by Covid-19 in the year since the county's first virus case was reported, and first-person experiences and expert opinions, documented here, suggest that the pandemic may leave its mark for years to come.

Armed with a computer, an internet connection, and a humanitarian streak, East End residents who have become adept at using New York State's website for booking Covid-19 vaccine appointments are helping others get their shots.

Several longtime members of the East Hampton Ladies Village Improvement Society, including former presidents, have resigned from the society in recent weeks, following the announcement of the 125-year-old women's group that it had hired a man to be its first executive director.

Not many people can say they have been to Antarctica, but can you imagine sailing there on a wooden ship with cloth sails, navigating by compass and stars?

There are few, if any, absolutes in medicine. For example, the medical establishment spent years telling people that low-fat diets would lower their risk of dying, particularly by lowering high cholesterol and decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

This is the second year the Ellen Hermanson Foundation is holding a benefit virtually, because of the pandemic. This year's event, at 6 p.m. on Saturday, will feature a knockout lineup of female comedians, singers, and other performers. As always, the foundation will honor women in the community who have made a difference.

For those who need help coping with pandemic-related losses and other issues, a number of organizations and medical facilities continue to offer resources. Here are a few.