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Hospital capacity near 70%
(Updated: Friday, 4:30 p.m.)
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said Friday the county remains on target to pass the 14-day benchmark of consecutive days of declining hospitalization on May 5. That guidance set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is one criteria that will be used toward when a region can begin reopening.
Mr. Bellone said the hospital capacity is also right around 70%, which is another indicator used for reopening. There are 1,008 beds available out of 3,337. The capacity for ICU beds is at about 73%.
“We need to keep that extra capacity open as we begin to reopen the economy,” Mr. Bellone said.
The number of patients hospitalized declined by 67 in the past 24 hours, which Mr. Bellone said was “another big decline.” There are 903 COVID-19 patients in the hospital, which is around the number at the start of April. Elective surgeries have not yet resumed, so Mr. Bellone said the number of COVID-19 patients, while declining, is still high.
There are now 324 ICU patients.
New cases continue to be confirmed and there were an additional 478 cases in the last 24 hours, bringing the total past 35,000.
There have been an additional 26 fatalities, bringing the total to 1,203. Mr. Bellone noted that on April 1, the death total stood at 69, which at the time “was staggering,” he said. Now a month later, the total has skyrocketed past 1,200.
—Joe Werkmeister
Honoring first responders, medical personnel
(Updated: Friday, 4 p.m.)
In honor of first responders and medical personnel working to save lives, Southold Supervisor Scott Russell has asked the town highway department to display American flags along the Main Road in Southold village.
Every year, Mr. Russell says in his press release, the highway department places the flags along the Main Road shortly before Memorial Day. Now he is asking that the flags go up two weeks earlier, effective May 1.
“…as a tribute to those who have given, and continue to give, so much of themselves to the people of Southold,” he said.
“As we enter the month of May, we have all experienced the heartache of the impacts caused by the spread of the COVID-19 virus for several weeks,” Mr. Russell said. “From those who have acquired the disease and the effects it has caused to the families and friends who have lost a loved one. The disruption of people’s daily lives and the impacts to our small businesses, there have been sacrifices made and challenges that lie ahead. We have seen a decline in the spread over the past two weeks, no doubt the result of the commitment made by everyone to follow the guidelines to keep our community, our families and ourselves safe.”
He said the response to the COVID-19 pandemic by those on the front lines of the battle amounts to nothing short of greatness.
“We have also seen heroes: The healthcare workers and first responders who risk their own health, work tireless hours and have shown a deep commitment, care and concern for the people… How can you ever truly express the gratitude, the appreciation and deep respect we have for those who are giving so much? This is a small measure but, one that will hopefully serve as a visual reminder to all of us of the sacrifices our first responders and our healthcare workers are making on our behalf everyday.”
—Steve Wick
Watch: County Executive’s daily briefing
(Updated: Friday, 2:45 p.m.)
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone is holding his daily media briefing on the latest coronavirus news. Watch here.
Schools to remain closed
(Updated: Friday, Noon)
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Friday announced that schools will remain closed through the rest of the academic year.
“The decisions on the education system are obviously critically important,” the governor said.
Distance learning programs will continue, he said. Decisions on summer school will be made by the end of May, he said.
“No one can predict what the situation will be in weeks from now,” he said. “Any decision on summer school will be made at end of month.”
Child care services for essential workers and meal programs will continue. Districts should begin developing plans for an eventual reopening that take into account safeguards.
School closings have continued to be extended since mid-March when the order was first announced. The latest date for possible reopening had been May 15. The high school spring sports season had already been canceled in Suffolk County in advance of the governor’s decision.
—Joe Werkmeister
Watch: Governor’s daily media briefing
(Updated: Friday, 11:30 a.m.)
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is holding his daily media briefing on the latest coronavirus news. An announcement about the next step for schools is expected.
Summer Operations Task Force
(Updated: Friday, 10:50 a.m.)
The Suffolk County Supervisors Association is announcing a joint planning effort with three Nassau County town supervisors to explore areas of a possible coordination of summer programs and facilities across all 13 towns. It will be known as the Nassau/Suffolk Towns’ Summer Operations Task Force.
A press conference is currently underway.
Tribute at 8:20 p.m.
(Updated: Friday, 9:30 a.m.)
School districts across Suffolk County are planning a tribute Friday night to honor the high school student-athletes who lost out on their final senior seasons.
The theme is “Turn the Lights On” for the Class of 2020.
At Greenport High School, the stadium lights will be turned on at 8:20 p.m. And the scoreboard will be turned on with 2020 displayed.
“This is an organized tribute by school districts across Long Island to recognize all the high school senior athletes, seniors and students who have lost so much this spring,” Greenport athletic director Chris Golden said in a message to the community.
He asked that people refrain from going to to the fields to see the stadium lights and scoreboard as public gatherings are prohibited and social distancing policies remain in effect. A video will be posted on the district’s website and social media.
The Southold School District will be assisted by the Southold Fire Department, which will sound alarms on the firehouse and trucks as they pass the school. The scoreboard will also be lit up with 2020 and painted red in light.
Congregation at the school is also not allowed.
“A special thank you to the Southold Fire Department, Southold Police Department and all of the First Responders who are always there for us, our students and our community,” elementary school principal Ellen O’Neill wrote on Facebook. “Thank you!”
—Joe Werkmeister
Making a difference at Wendy’s Deli
(Updated: Friday, 7:45 a.m.)
One afternoon in late March, Wendy’s Deli owner Wendy Zuhoski decided to make sandwiches for the COVID-19 team at Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital.
It felt like the right thing to do, she said, and it was a slow enough day at her Mattituck deli that she and her staff had the time.
Little did she know what she was starting.
In the month that has followed, the Wendy’s Deli team and their selfless customers have made about 100 food runs to area health care facilities and other workers on the front lines of the coronavirus pandemic.
“People started saying, ‘Oh, let me help you,’ ” Ms. Zuhoski said of the effort that has seen her crew donate more than 3,500 sandwiches and hot meals. They’re often delivering them four times per day, with each item individually wrapped.
The help has come in all sorts of different ways. Some customers have left $100 bills to put toward the effort. Others have baked and wrapped cookies and brownies. Some have volunteered to go on the runs, which have benefited health care, sanitation workers and more.
—Grant Parpan
Support for high school seniors
(Updated: Friday, 7:30 a.m.)
From Shoreham to Southold, signs are popping up to show support for the Class of 2020.
What began as a small idea to honor the graduating seniors, who may miss out on the usual traditions in light of the global coronavirus pandemic, has blossomed into a regional effort to recognize every graduate.
Blue and gold signs mark the Shoreham and Wading River homes of “Wildcat” seniors under a project put together by parents Lee Steimel and Mary Sheridan, both of whom have children graduating this year.
“It was their year,” Ms. Steimel said Monday, adding that she feels terrible that her daughter, Summer, will miss out on everything from her final lacrosse season to saying goodbye to teachers and friends and, now, possibly even a graduation ceremony. “Everything’s changed,” she said. “We wanted to do something to recognize them and put a smile on their face.”
The idea is spreading east.
—Tara Smith
Stony Brook Southampton Hospital’s medical director credits staff, community for successes
(Updated: Thursday, 1:15 p.m.)
As Stony Brook Southampton Hospital begins to see a slow decline in admissions among COVID-19 patients, the hospital’s medical director took time this week to reflect on the scramble to treat “some of the sickest patients we’ve encountered in many years.”
Dr. Fredric I. Weinbaum is a veteran of New York City hospitals, and while he’s proud that Southampton’s medical facility had a better rate of successfully treating COVID-19 patients, he’s quick to point out the “good fortune” of practicing medicine here.
“We were fortunate. We were able to stay a jump ahead of this surge,” he said, crediting the local efforts at social distancing, which kept the number of cases manageable as the hospital expanded, at Governor Andrew Cuomo’s order, to keep pace.
“We are fortunate to live and work and be in Southampton, where we’ve got a population that’s afforded the luxury of social distancing, and many of whom can shelter in place at home,” Dr. Weinbaum said in an interview on Monday. “And I think that’s been a godsend to our area, and kept us from being overwhelmed.”
The hospital had to intubate a “significant number” of patients who were admitted for conditions related to COVID-19. Unlike in New York City hospitals, which recently reported a death rate of more than 80 percent for patients who were placed on ventilators, Dr. Weinbaum said the hospital had the opposite: only about 20 percent of patients placed on ventilators died, compared to the number who were discharged or are recovering in the hospital. In fact, patients who were on a ventilator an average of 11 days were twice as likely to be discharged as to die.
— Joseph P. Shaw
For the uninsured, delaying medical care can have deadly consequence
(Updated: Thursday, 10:30 a.m.)
The sickness accelerated quickly for Don Chuz, a Guatemalan immigrant who had lived in Greenport for about a decade, earning a living in construction. He particularly enjoyed doing tile work.
He had been feeling ill for a few days before his conditioned worsened and he had difficulty breathing, said his nephew Henry Garcia. He stopped eating with the rest of the family. Mr. Garcia grew concerned and encouraged his uncle to go to the hospital.
Mr. Chuz, 55, declined at first. He figured it was a bad cold. And he didn’t have health insurance.
His nephew finally convinced him to seek care early on the morning of April 18. Mr. Garcia brought his uncle outside and prepared to help him into his car so he could drive him to nearby Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital.
But Mr. Chuz collapsed on the street. He couldn’t breathe.
Mr. Garcia dialed 911 and began to perform CPR.
Restrictions related to the coronavirus pandemic meant Mr. Garcia could not travel in the ambulance with his uncle. So he stayed behind, and called the hospital after about half an hour for an update. He was told to come to the hospital, where he was given the tragic news: His uncle had died.
—Joe Werkmeister
Peconic Landing reports more fatalities, clarifies concerns in letter to members
(Updated: Wednesday, 3 p.m.)
In a five-page letter sent to members Wednesday, Peconic Landing CEO Bob Syron provided an update to the Greenport retirement and life care community’s response to COVID-19 that included a new timeline for when the virus arrived on campus and an updated death toll. In total, 12 members of the community died from the virus, according to a copy of the letter Peconic Landing shared with The Suffolk Times.
The letter is the most comprehensive update provided by the community’s administration and the first in several weeks, following concerns over the national media attention the facility attracted over its reported deaths.
“As a result of the publicity that came from being forthright, our Peconic Landing family was inundated by harassing messages, phone calls, and individuals who were trying to come on campus despite it being closed to non-essential visitors to prevent the spread,” Mr. Syron wrote. “This interference threatened to distract us from what we needed to do to protect our community and provide the high level of care and service our members deserve as the pandemic continued to rage in the region and across the nation.”
— Grant Parpan
LIVE: County Executive’s daily briefing
(Updated: Wednesday, 2:30 p.m.)
County Executive Steve Bellone is holding his daily media briefing. Watch here.
Watch: Gov. Cuomo gives his Wednesday COVID-19 media briefing
(Updated: Wednesday, 11:40 a.m.)
Det. Brian Simonsen Memorial Foundation donates $10K to NY Marine Rescue Center
(Updated: Wednesday, 7:45 a.m.)
art of the mission of the Det. Brian Simonsen Memorial Foundation has centered around supporting animal rescue efforts.
Leanne Simonsen, the fallen NYPD detective’s widow, said animals were “near and dear” to both their hearts.
Shortly after the coronavirus pandemic forced many businesses and organizations to close or scale back operations, Ms. Simonsen read an article about some of the financial difficulties facing the New York Marine Rescue Center, which is located at the Long Island Aquarium in downtown Riverhead.
The nonprofit rescue center rescues and rehabilitates sea turtles and marine mammals from across the state. Ms. Simonsen said it hadn’t struck her until then that such an organization would be struggling now.
“It was like a sign,” she said. “This is a place to give to.”
Not only was it a chance to support an organization that fits the foundation’s mission, but it was also a chance to give back to Riverhead Town.
“They’ve supported me so much,” said Ms. Simonsen, who lives in Calverton.
The foundation board recently began to discuss a way to donate some of its funds to the rescue center. Early this week, the center received a $10,000 donation.
— Joe Werkmeister
Farmers honor health care workers at PBMC
(Updated: Tuesday, 8 p.m.)
A caravan of thank yous have become a popular way for the community, fire departments and EMS volunteers to show support for health care workers since the outbreak of COVID-19 began.
Farmers on the East End put a twist on the blossoming tradition in a salute by farmers to front line workers at Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead Tuesday.
Horns blared from tractors, pickup trucks and even a grape harvester as dozens of farm vehicles joined the convoy, which made its way down Route 58 and turned north of Roanoke Avenue around 6:30 p.m.
The parade was orchestrated by members of the Long Island Farm Bureau.
— Tara Smith
Watch: County Executive Steve Bellone’s Tuesday media briefing
(Updated: Tuesday, 3:30 p.m.)
Cuomo: New York’s reopening must be data-driven
(Updated: Tuesday, 1:30 p.m.)
As the number of new COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and intubations continues on a downward track, Gov. Andrew Cuomo has shifted his focus on the reopening strategy.
During a press briefing in Syracuse Tuesday afternoon, the governor offered more specifics on how the procedures would be data-driven.
“It’s becoming rhetorical rather than factual,” Mr. Cuomo said. “We want to reopen, but we want to do it without infecting more people or overwhelming the hospital system.”
The reopening strategy will be based on two key measurements: hospital capacity and the rate of new infections.
Moving forward, even as elective surgeries resume primarily in the upstate region, hospitals must maintain at least 30% of their bed capacity, the governor said. The rate of transmission also must not exceed 1.1, which could signal another outbreak. “Those are danger signs,” Mr. Cuomo said.
New York’s strategy mirrors guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that say states can only begin to reopen once hospitalizations decline for 14 days straight.
— Tara Smith
Suffolk County Historical Society seeks residents to submit pandemic stories for archival collection
(Updated: Tuesday, 7 a.m.)
Few things can be as frustrating for a historian or researcher as looking for archival information about an historic event and finding little or nothing. Victoria Berger can relate to that.
Interested in the parallels between the devastation caused by the Spanish flu of 1918-20 and the current coronavirus pandemic, Ms. Berger was sorely disappointed by the scarcity of material on the Spanish flu’s impact on Long Island a hundred years ago.
“There were references to the Spanish flu … but I wasn’t able to hear the actual accounts of people’s experiences,” said Ms. Berger, the Suffolk County Historical Society executive director.
Ms. Berger said she found more newspaper ads for snake oil treatments for Spanish flu than actual tales of people’s experiences with the flu, the sort of stuff historians treasure. “I couldn’t find the personal anecdotal stories of how our communities are affected,” she said. “That’s where you get a relatable connection to the history.”
A thought popped up: the collection of so-called living histories.
— Bob Liepa
No congregating at town beaches
(Updated: Monday, 5:20 p.m.)
Swimming at Southold Town beaches is prohibited, effective immediately, officials announced Monday.
“The Town also announced congregating on beaches is also prohibited and that parking at Town Beaches and road ends will be limited to vehicles with Town Resident Parking Permits only,” according to a news release.
Supervisor Scott Russell said: “With warmer weather coming, we want to ensure that our beaches are enjoyed by the public in a safe manner that encourages social distancing.”
Mr. Russell also pointed out that New York State already but in a place a prohibition against swimming and a plan for reduced parking at state-owned beaches and parks.
Police Chief Martin Flatley stated that Town beaches will be monitored by Traffic Control Officers and that Resident Parking Permits requirements will be strictly enforced.
Officials said that Resident Parking Permits that expired on Dec. 31, 2019 shall be valid until June 15, 2020 to allow residents more time to renew their permits.
“People can also apply for permits online or by mail through the Southold Town Clerk’s Office. For any questions, please call the Clerk’s Office at (631) 765-1800,” according to the release.
Mr. Russell also said that the drive-through at the Southold Town annex “will soon be open so people can be able to apply in person. The date of the opening will be announced shortly.”
—Steve Wick
Democratic presidential primary canceled
(Updated: Monday, 5 p.m.)
The Democratic presidential primary in New York has now officially been canceled by the New York State Board of Elections due to concerns about the coronavirus pandemic.
The primary had originally been scheduled for April before Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order pushing it back to June 23.
The decision was made during a commissioners meeting Monday.
Former vice president Joe Biden is now the presumptive nominee for the Democratic Party after Senator Bernie Sanders suspended his campaign earlier this month.
—Joe Werkmeister
Watch: County Executive’s media briefing
(Updated: Monday, 2:20 p.m.)
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone is holding his daily media briefing. Watch here.
State to help food banks
(Updated: Monday, 1:20 p.m.)
The demand at Long Island food banks during the coronavirus pandemic has increased by 40%, Gov. Andrew Cuomo said Monday during his daily media briefing.
He announced the state will commit $25 million from the State’s Special Public Health Emergency Fund for food banks and providers most impacted by the pandemic.
“We’re seeing a tremendous demand in food banks which is predictable in some ways,” he said.
Westchester County has seen a 200% increase.
The governor is also seeking assistance from philanthropists willing to help. Anyone interested can contact Fran Barrett, director of nonprofits, at [email protected].
Additional details on how the funding would be dispersed was not yet released.
—Joe Werkmeister
Watch: Governor’s Monday briefing
(Updated: Monday, 11:30 a.m.)
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is holding his daily media briefing on the latest coronavirus news. Watch here.
On Fishers Island, protocols in place to limit spread of virus
(Updated: Monday, 6:15 a.m.)
As the coronavirus spread rapidly through the rest of Southold Town, Fishers Island residents have banded together to avoid potential catastrophe on their remote, four-square-mile island.
Just two cases of COVID-19 have been documented among islanders, according to officials at the Island Health Project, a nonprofit formed to raise funds for Dr. Chris Ingram, the small community’s only physician.
The first patient was evacuated via marine Sea Stretcher Friday, March 27, to Lawrence & Memorial Hospital in New London, Conn., and discharged April 1. That patient and a family member who also tested positive are now both recovering at their primary residence off-island, officials said.
— Tara Smith
Roanoke Avenue could be renamed ‘Heroes Way’ around PBMC
(Updated: Monday, 6 a.m.)
It’s a common occurrence these days for a group of family members to wait outside the main entrance to Peconic Bay Medical center as a loved one is wheeled out of the hospital on their way home to life after being treated for COVID-19.
Joining them is often more than a dozen staff members from the Riverhead hospital. The cheers at first are directed toward the patient on their way to a full recovery. Then the applause usually turns to the health care workers.
Now those workers are likely to receive a more permanent salute thanks to an idea floated by the PBMC administration to the Riverhead Town Board.
The portion of Roanoke Avenue between Route 58 and Middle Road could soon be renamed ‘Heroes Way.’
— Grant Parpan
