COVID-19

Vaccine drives scheduled for Aug. 12, 13 to help reach farm workers, senior citizens and any other residents

Riverhead Town residents can receive the COVID-19 vaccine at the Riverhead Senior Center on Thursday, Aug. 12 and Friday, Aug. 13.

The vaccine distribution is a joint effort between the town, Long Island Farm Bureau and the North Fork Spanish Apostolate. The effort is aimed at reaching senior citizens and agricultural workers, although all residents ages 12 or older are eligible.

The senior center is located at 60 Shade Tree Lane in Aquebogue. The vaccinations will be done between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m.

Pre-registration is required. Anyone interested can call the supervisor’s office at 631-727-3200, ext. 653 or by calling the senior center at ext. 290 to schedule an appointment. Pre-registration can also be done by clicking here and you will receive a call back to schedule an appointment.

“This unified outreach partnership provides us the ability to assist our agricultural community, our senior population, our youth and anyone else in the Town of Riverhead who has not yet been able to obtain the COVID-19 vaccine,” Supervisor Yvette Aguiar said in a statement.

The vaccine distribution comes at a time when Riverhead has been identified as one of 21 zip codes on Long Island that have both a rate of new positives per capita above the statewide average and a full vaccination rate below the statewide average. The Riverhead 11901 zip code currently has a fully vaccinated rate of 53.7% while the Calverton zip code of 11933 has a 51.7% rate. The current statewide rate is 57.2% and the county rate is nearly identical at 57.1%.

Rob Carpenter, the Long Island Farm Bureau director, called the vaccination drive a “tremendous opportunity” to help farmers, farm workers and the rest of Riverhead Town.

“We look forward to working with Supervisor Aguiar and members of the Town staff to make this a successful event,” he said in a statement.

Sister Margaret Smythe of the North Fork Spanish Apostolate added: “It is so important to have the vaccine available as often as possible.”

The vaccine drive also comes at a time when cases have been steadily increasing in Suffolk County, largely due to the more transmissible Delta variant that is causing a surge nationwide. The vaccines remain the biggest key to ending the pandemic, health experts say.

Vaccines can still be gotten at many other locations, including most pharmacies. Click here for more information on finding a vaccine site.