Suffolk County Launches 'Take Your Shot' Campaign In Suffolk

BRENTWOOD, NY — Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and other local officials launched the county's "Take Your Shot" campaign on Tuesday in Brentwood. Residents were asked to receive the coronavirus vaccine and encourage others to #TakeYourShot against COVID-19 as positive cases and deaths are on the rise.

A second wave of the virus has hit Long Island, Bellone said. The surge has resulted in hospitalizations and deaths, according to statistics Bellone provided at his news conference.

November began with 42 people hospitalized in Suffolk County. As of Tuesday, there are more than 550 people in hospitals, Bellone said.

In November, 35 Suffolk County residents died of COVID-19, Bellone said; more than the combined total of August, September and October. In December, more than 120 Suffolk residents died due to the coronavirus, according to Bellone.

The surge comes as Christmas and New Year's are around the corner, Bellone noted.

"These are, of course, major celebrations with friends and family," he said. "The best time of the year in so many ways, and the times when we do come together to gather together to be with the ones we love. This year, of course, is different because of what is happening with COVID-19."

Contact tracing revealed that the spread of the coronavirus is happening "mostly" through small gatherings, Bellone said. In the past week, Suffolk COVID-19 testing has found five days of a 7 percent positivity rate and one day above 8 percent.

"During this holiday season, during this Christmas season, we have hope, and it is in the form of a vaccine that is now here, on the ground, and being administered to health care workers and nursing home residents," he said.

The vaccine has already hit hospitals and nursing homes. Next, it is planned to go to first responders such as police and EMS. From there, it will go to the most vulnerable before it hits the general population, Bellone said.

The county has the goal of vaccinating more than 75 percent of its populace — roughly 850,000 residents — to reach the number needed for herd immunity, according to Bellone, who called it a "herculean task."

"In order to achieve this level of vaccination, the public has to have confidence in the vaccination," Bellone said. "We are, as a result of that, launching a public awareness campaign that will encourage residents to take the vaccine."

The county plans to call upon its health department, police, fire rescue and emergency services, Suffolk 311, and its minority affairs office to spread the word regarding the "efficacy and safety" of the vaccine. The county will work with organizations to reach certain communities — especially those of color — that have been hit hard by the pandemic, Bellone said. Stakeholders that Bellone hopes will spread the word include businesses, faith-based organizations, health care providers and school districts.

A webpage where residents can commit to taking the vaccine is in the works as a means to help the county track its goal. Residents were asked to share videos of their reasoning for taking the vaccine with the hashtag #TakeYourShot.

A paid campaign is slated to use radio announcements from health officials such as Dr. Gregson Pigott, commissioner of Suffolk County Department of Health Services.

"We're going to be asking residents to make a pledge," Bellone said. "#TakeYourShot against COVID-19 once the time comes. At the height of this pandemic, when we weren't sure whether our hospital system was overwhelmed; when we weren't certain about the virus, and fear and anxiety were high, we were able to flatten the curve by the extraordinary efforts of the people of this county. And now, as this second wave is upon us, we are calling on all of our residents to once again do the same thing they did in the spring. This time, by taking action, to get vaccinated, so we can end this virus once and for all here, move on from here, and build back stronger and better than ever. The bottom line to all this once again, this effort, this fight we're engaged in, is to help save lives."

Other officials who joined Bellone at his conference included Dr. Shaheda Iftikhar, deputy commissioner for the Department of Health Services; Louis J. Petrizzo, interim president of Suffolk County Community College; Tracey Edwards, Long Island regional director of NAACP; and Theresa Saunders, president of the Urban League of Long Island.