Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone today announced that the Suffolk County Department of Health Services will begin supplying the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine to local medical providers who wish to dispense the vaccine at their offices. In support of this effort, the Department of Health Services is inviting medical practitioners to join the county’s leading health officials for an informational meeting to answer questions about dispensing the vaccines and the requirements for storing, handling, and administering them.
The meeting will be held virtually this Thursday, June 24, 2021 at 5:30 PM. Providers who wish to dispense the COVID-19 vaccine to their patients are advised to check their email for the link to the webinar. The advisory was sent on Monday, June 21, 2021, through the New York State Department of Health alert system and included a link to a guidance document developed by the Suffolk County Department of Health Services. At the meeting, presenters from the department will provide an overview of the document, which details a step-by-step process for providers to better understand the state’s COVID-19 Vaccination Program, requirements for participating in the program and best practices for administering COVID-19 vaccines at their offices.
“We have come a long way this year, with Suffolk County already achieving President Joe Biden’s goal of vaccinating 70% of adults with at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by July 4,” said Suffolk County Executive Bellone. “Now, as we continue to gain freedom from this unpredictable disease, we encourage healthcare practitioners to reach out to us and their patients to ensure that we are finally able to reach herd immunity to beat this virus once and for all.”
“As the number of people coming to our large vaccination points of dispensing have dwindled, we must now look to vaccinate those residents who are hesitant but may trust their medical provider to give them their COVID vaccines,” said Suffolk County Health Commissioner Dr. Gregson Pigott. “We are prepared to accommodate them and will offer support to practitioners as needed.”
While most healthcare practices do not have the capacity to store the large trays of vaccine that manufacturers have been delivering to larger entities such as hospitals and pharmacies, they will now be able to accept smaller quantities from the Suffolk County Department of Health Services.
While population immunity varies from disease to disease, experts have estimated that 70% to 90% of the population needs to be vaccinated to curb the spread of COVID-19. At present, 58.5% of Suffolk County’s population of 1,481,093 has received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, 71.1% of the population ages 18+ has received at least one dose.
Medical practitioners who are unable to attend the webinar on Thursday evening, may review and print the 12-page guidance document, which can be found on the Department of Health Services website.
The Pfizer BioNTech vaccine is approved under the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Emergency Use Authorization for individuals 12 years of age and older. On May 19, 2021, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration authorized undiluted, thawed Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine vials to be stored in the refrigerator at 2°C to 8°C (35°F to 46°F) for up to one month.
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