Editorial

Nassau County hits a welcome milestone

Posted

Last April and May, Gov. Andrew Cuomo described the coronavirus as a “fire spreading” across Long Island, with tens of thousands of Long Islanders infected with Covid-19 and hundreds dying of the disease.

A year later, we are seeing a new, brighter reality. On May 20, Nassau County Executive Laura Curran announced the county had recorded zero — yes, zero — Covid-19 deaths over the previous seven days.

“This is a major milestone in our county’s recovery from a once-in-a-lifetime crisis, and I want to thank our residents for the hard work and sacrifice that got us to this point,” Curran said. “Our hearts remain with the loved ones of the precious lives we’ve lost to Covid-19.”

Nassau’s progress in beating back the virus is driven by one key factor, the county executive said: 74 percent of adult residents in the county had, as of last week, received at least one vaccine dose. Clearly, the vaccines are working. Clearly, anyone who has not been vaccinated should seriously consider getting a shot.

Masks have been coming off. Businesses have been opening up. People are crowding their favorite restaurants. Hope for recovery is in the air. Let’s keep that progress going with a willingness to embrace sound science.