The Town of Smithtown, in partnership with the State of New York and St. Catherine of Siena Hospital, successfully coordinated the second and final round of Covid-19 Booster vaccines for 410 senior citizens last week. On Wednesday, May 5th and Thursday, May 6th, 2021, residents who previously received the first round of Covid-19 vaccines one month prior returned to the Senior Center to obtain the booster dose. The temporary Covid-19 Vaccine Site at the Eugene Cannataro Senior Citizens Center was operated by both Town and NY State personnel, medical professionals from St. Catherine’s hospital, with emergency response support provided by Smithtown, St. James, Nesconset, & Nissequogue Fire Departments.
“Together, we have helped to give our most vulnerable population the freedom to enjoy life unburdened by the virus. I am especially grateful to the healthcare professionals at St. Catherine of Siena Hospital, NY State volunteers, Smithtown Fire Department’s Chief Tim Duckham, who coordinated EMS response, Laura Grief, Director of the Senior Center, her dedicated team and my administrative staff who coordinated the entire process. I look forward to this continued partnership, which has helped so many residents to feel safe again.” - Supervisor Ed Wehrheim
The Moderna vaccine was supplied to Catholic Health by NY State through Governor Cuomo’s Long Island office. The booster vaccines were paired to be given to Smithtown's most vulnerable population. A coordinated effort between Supervisor Wehrheim and Governor Cuomo’s offices began with St. Catherine’s Hospital in January, in an effort to provide a simple registration process for those residents who’ve previously struggled with the online registration method.
Vaccines were administered by healthcare professionals from St. Catherine of Siena Hospital. Residents were then monitored during the required 20-minute observation period. The average appointment took a total of 30 minutes, with the bulk of time going towards monitoring. The Moderna booster vaccines were administered exactly four weeks from the date of each first vaccine appointment, held on Wednesday, April 7th and Thursday, April 8th at the Smithtown Senior Center.