HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. (WCBS 880) — A new mobile unit was introduced on Monday to deliver COVID-19 vaccines across one town in Nassau County.
The mobile unit is the first of its kind on Long Island and will travel around the Town of Hempstead to make sure everyone has a chance to receive a COVID vaccine – especially seniors, who have had trouble scheduling appointments on New York’s online portal.
With the vaccine hard to come by, many senior adults say they have not been able to get an appointment at a location that makes sense for them – and that’s where the mobile unit will come in.
“It's not easy for people to go out to these sites. I hate to break this to be people but, senior citizens really do not know or have a familiarity with using email or feeling confident,” said Hempstead Town Supervisor Don Clavin. “The vision is: this goes to the senior centers, this goes to parks, this goes to see shopping centers.”
The town has partnered up with Mount Sinai-South Nassau Hospital to bring the vaccines to people who need them.
However, Dr. Aaron Glatt says they are still severely understaffed to distribute the number of vaccines they want to.
“We need more healthcare providers so if people are interested in joining our team, we're going to need people to staff this,” Dr. Glatt said of the vaccine mobile unit.
The van will also offer COVID testing along with the distribution of the vaccine.
“We should see a number of these coming down the road, from all the different entities because that's how you gonna get it to people,” Clavin said. “You're not gonna get everybody just going down to the beach, they're not gonna go. This needs to go to the church, this needs to go to the synagogue, this needs to go to Stop & Shop to get those a essential workers. That's the vision and that's we're gonna work out.”
The first mobile unit will likely be up and running in March, when Calvin hopes more doses will become available.
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