More pop-up vaccination sites opened across Nassau County Thursday in an effort to get more people vaccinated.
Nassau Executive Laura Curran kicked off new sites at St. Peter's of Alcantara in Port Washington, with an aim to vaccinate 600 residents.
Also opening was a site at Kennedy Memorial Park in Hempstead, which aims to vaccinate 300 people per day.
The openings come as part of Nassau's effort to ensure equitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine to minority residents.
"We want to make sure that we're reaching out to the people who might be hard to find, who might be hesitant, who might have issues, problems, questions, skepticism about it," says Curran.
Both pop-ups are being run in cooperation with Northwell Health.
"Educate people that getting the vaccine is the right thing to do for your own health, for your family's heatlh," says Michael Dowling, CEO of Northwell Health.
Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone says if people don't get vaccinated the virus will still be here and can resurface and resurge at some point in the future.
"So the concern with people not coming in for their second dose is we know they are not fully protected," says Bellone. "These vaccines are 90 to 95% effective once you've completed the second dose."
High school senior Amanda Dalimonte, of Port Washington, says she got the vaccine so that she doesn't have to worry about being exposed.
The pop-up sites do take walk-ins, but appointments are recommended.