2 more Long Island CVS locations to offer COVID-19 vaccines starting Friday

Long Island will see more access to COVID-19 vaccines when two more Long Island CVS locations begin offering shots Friday.

News 12 Staff

Feb 12, 2021, 11:12 AM

Updated 1,177 days ago

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Thousands of Long Islanders will be able to get their COVID-19 vaccinations at CVS pharmacies, starting Friday.
Vaccines will be distributed at 32 CVS locations throughout the state, including stores in Bethpage, West Sayville and Manorville, as part of a federal program.
The location in Manorville has been offering the shots, but appointments are fully booked.
The company says you can only get an appointment if you meet the current eligibility requirements and you must register online. You cannot just show up at their stores.
Right now, the pharmacy chain is getting around 20,000 doses per week to use at those stores, and all of the appointments are already fully booked.
CVS spokesperson Ed Campbell says they plan to open additional locations and will have more appointments available as soon as the government sends more doses.
"There's no doubt that demand for the vaccine outweighs the supply, so we are asking people to be patient," says Campbell.
Under the program, vaccines will also be administered at other large pharmacies such as Walgreens.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone says the additional distribution sites will help, but the biggest bottleneck remains the supply that's coming from the federal government.
"This week we are going to give 3,200 people the shot at our county pods," says Bellone. "That will continue to increase as we move forward, but our capacity is far much greater than that."
Tony Mangiaracina, 79, regularly shops at the Bethpage CVS. When he tried booking an appointment for a vaccination, he hit a dead-end.
"We've been trying a lot, my wife and I, on the web," he says. "If you can find the site, it just lists that no appointments are available."
A pop-up vaccination site will also open at 9 a.m. Friday in Wyandanch, part of an effort to protect minority communities, which were hit hard by the pandemic.
Assemblywoman Kimberly Jean-Pierre says those appointments also went quickly.
"It went in just two days, not even, maybe a day and a half, not even a full two days," she says. "The number of people that want to get vaccinated, we don't have the vaccine for."


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