ECRWSS PRSRT STD U.S. Postage PAID Permit #2475 Providence, RI
The Greenwich Weekly Newspaper, Local, local, local.
January 8, 2021
Postal Customer RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER
Back Countr y | Banksv ille | Belle Haven | By ram| Chickahominy | Cos Cob | Glenv ille | Old Greenw ich | Pember w ick | R iverside | Bedford, N Y
Greenwich Health Department Prepares for Vaccinations By Richard Kaufman A s t he ma s sive vacc i ne r ol lout continues around the country, Greenwich is preparing to inoculate residents as the state of Connecticut moves through the first phase of distribution. Currently, Connecticut is in Phase 1A of the vaccine distribution, which began last month. The initial rollout includes health care workers, medical first responders and nursing home and assisted living facility residents. Earlier this week, Gov. Ned Lamont's vaccination allocation advisory team met to finalize recommendations for who will receive shots in phase 1B. As of press time on Wednesday, those recommendations were not known. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had recommended in recent weeks that Phase 1B include people aged 75 and over, frontline essential workers, like police, firefighters, teachers, and grocery store employees. Phase 1B could begin by the end of January or early February. Those aged 65-74, and those under 65 who are high risk would be a part of 1C. The CDC has left it up to the states to ultimately decide who gets vaccinated next. The general public is expected to get their shots in the late spring, early summer. In order to get a vaccine in Connecticut, Lamont said earlier this week that appointments will have to be made online.
"We are going to do this online, and if you don't have online, make a phone reservation," he said. Lamont added that the vaccine will be rolled out to pharmacies -- like CVS and Walgreens -- over the next couple of weeks, so as the population for eligible people broadens, it will be easier to get their shots. Right now, those pharmacies are working with nursing and assisted living facilities on vaccinations. The CD C ha s u rge d employer s , healthcare providers, and other authorized organizations to use the web-based Vaccine Administration Management System (VAMS), which was developed by the federal government. VAMS allows employers to upload lists of employees and determine who is essential and high risk. Vaccine recipients then get an email when it's their turn, and they can register on VAMS and schedule an appointment at any vaccine clinic in the state. VAMS is also a tool that allows for vaccine tracking and data collection. Caroline Baisley, Greenwich's Director of Health, said it's unclear at the moment how online scheduling will work in the future as more phases are rolled out, but the town will do all it can to get people vaccinated, especially those who are not employed and those who do not have access to a computer. Baisley urged residents to be patient and wait for their turn in line. Information will be released when it's available and
posted on the town website. "There's always a little anxiousness of, 'Gee, when am I going to be next?' It all depends on how much vaccine we get, and how quickly it goes through the other priority groups. Sometimes it can be slower than you want it to be," Baisley said. Seniors will be a main focus for the health department, Baisley acknowledged. According to her, 18% of Greenwich's population is over 65. "The seniors, that's the group we're going to try and heavily serve when the time comes, which will hopefully be sooner than later. We'll make sure that they absolutely know that it's time to get an appointment [for a vaccine]," she said. "We're not going to miss you. We can't vaccinate you ahead of time until your priority group is called. Try to be patient. There's no pre-registration. You can't call the health department and say, 'Put me on a list.' There is no list." The health department will have COVID vaccine clinics set up at places like Town Hall, the Eastern Greenwich Civic Center, and Western Greenwich Civic Center -- similar to the locations used for the annual influenza vaccine. Baisley also said that there will be a drive-thru clinic in the spring when the weather is better. The health department performed a test run last fall to see how the drive-thru will work. But there are several challenges the health department faces, Baisley said.
Right now, after each vaccination, recipients must sit and be monitored for 10-15 minutes in case there is an adverse reaction to the shot, but that's slowing the vaccination process down. At Town Hall for example, Baisley must accommodate for a vaccination area and a resting area in a small space. Baisley is going to be actively recruiting medical professionals who have been given permission to administer the vaccine from the Governor -- such as veterinarians and dentists -- to see if they can help vaccinate for the health department. "I only have three nurses. We cannot sustain that kind of activity from January to December, several clinics a week. We wouldn't be able to handle that. We're a small department," Baisley said. But she expressed confidence in being able to get enough people to volunteer. "We have the Medical Reserve Corps, which is made up of nurses and doctors and other medical professionals, who help us do contact tracing. Hopefully they'll step up to the plate and help us vaccinate," Baisley added. T h e h e a lt h d e p a r t m e nt i s a l s o currently surveying all the doctors in town and freestanding clinics to see who is going to be a vaccine provider. The health department will most likely receive the Moderna vaccine, since it doesn't require the extreme cold storage that Pfizer needs. "I think the word at this point is it's
safe. If you're in a vulnerable category, you should really highly consider getting vaccinated," she said. Residents need to be mindful that the vaccine requires two doses. For Moderna, the recommended time between each dose is 28 days. Baisley encouraged residents to make sure they receive both shots, as close to on schedule as possible. She also said residents who have already had COVID-19 should get vaccinated, because immunity from the virus can wane after three months. "The vaccine will provide additional protection," Baisley said. Although the vaccine rollout around the country has been slow to start, and COVID cases continue to rise, Baisley believes as the days go by, things will become easier. "I hope that by the time we get into the spring, it will be a faster process and things will loosen up a bit, with a lot more vaccine and less restrictive measures down the road. Going toward the spring, it's all in our favor," she said. "To begin with, it's going to be kind of a little bit of a rocky road and kind of slow. It is what it is, and it's better than nothing. At least we have a vaccine to protect us, because you can't stay inside forever." For more information on vaccinations in Greenwich, go to the health department page at greenwichct.gov. Information on the rollout and future phases will be posted there as it becomes available.
Over 1,000 Transactions – One Amazing Year
SENTINEL SUBSCRIBE www.GreenwichSentinel. com/subscribe SUBSCRIBER DELIVERY ISSUES & REQUESTS Thomas@maninmotionllc. com or call 203-515-2288
One thousand and three transactions, that’s what we did last year. These 1003 transactions consisted of 861 sales up 33 4 houses from 2019 or 63% and 142 contracts up 70 houses or almost a 100% increase. And, it wasn’t like these sales and contracts were concentrated in any particular price range. Literally, every price range, except our lowest price range was up. Even, the fact that sales under $600,000 were down, may indicate a stronger market as houses were priced out of our lowest price range and pushed over $600,000.
Cell Phones Can’t Charge Each Other
SUBMIT EVENTS Editor@GreenwichSentinel. com ANNOUNCEMENTS Weddings & engagements; promotions, achievements; births; letters to the editor; obituaries. These are free. Beth@GreenwichSentinel. com SPORTS Paul@GreenwichSentinel.com ADVERTISING Peter@GreenwichSentinel. com; call 203-4850226; or buy online at GreenwichSentinel.com/ Advertise STORY IDEAS Publisher@ GreenwichSentinel.com COLUMNISTS Columnists and community impact. Jenny at CommunityImpact@ GreenwichSentinel.com JIM KNOX info@beardsleyzoo.org LETTERS Editor@GreenwichSentinel. com CORRESPONDENCE PO Box 279 Greenwich, CT 06836
be looking at over $300,000,000 of for sales which was set 16 years ultra-high-end sales (assuming the ago in 2004. That year we sold 978 John Street house gets close to list.) houses for a total of $2.17 billion dollars, and that number includes $2.3 billion in total home sales In total for 2020 sales, we had both public and private sales. $2.3 billion in single family home sales in 2020. This is in one year, in a town of only 62,000 people. Back in 2019, our total sales volume was only $1.25 billion meaning our total volume was up 84%, most of which happened in the second half of the year. What is really remarkable is that 2020’s $2.3 billion in public sales exceeds our previous record
A remarkable 2nd Half and 4th quarter The 4th quarter saw sales increase by 143% over the 4th quarter of 2019. Total sales volume increased even more from $251 Continued from Page 1 million in sales in the 4th quarter of 2019 to $804 million in sales or an increase of 221%. Even in this
Please turn to page 18
Calls to Action Kids in Crisis needs Dinner Donations. Prepare a home-cooked (or grab a healthy take out) meal. Be sure all meals are oven ready. Check out the Kids in Crisis website https://www.kidsincrisis.org/ or call Melissa Basile at 203 622-6556 for more information and no contact drop off options. Visit the Avon Theater Film Center. The Avon is back!!! Their historic theater is OPEN. Masks are required, and since they have reduced seating in order to observe social distancing, they suggest purchasing tickets online. Enhanced ventilation, new cleaning and safety protocols are in place throughout the building. Check out the Avon theatre website for movie listings: http://avontheatre.org/
By Jill S. Woolworth, LMFT There is a romantic notion that a spouse can b e “my e ve r y- t h i n g .” This idea is false. Our spouse cannot be our 24/7 charging station. Nor can we plug into ourselves. Couples need a wide circle of friends and advisors, as well as a transcendent s ou r c e of st r eng t h , to provide meaning to life. Contemplative practices and faith can rem ind us that we are part of a larger, loving c o m m u n i t y. T h e s e practices encourage us and challenge us to become our best selves. Love cannot be s o l e l y s e l f- g e n e r a t e d or demanded from our partner when our ow n batter y is low. It takes time and community to cultivate. By developing a broad net work of suppor t ive
you have 861 sales in a year, 15 sales may not sound like that much, but those 15 sales totaled $217,400,000. If you start with our least expensive sale and go up, you need 224 sales to total the $217 million represented by these 15 years. Our over $10 million market was actually better than that. These are the Greenwich MLS sales numbers, and they don’t include the $42 million sale on Indian Head Road in Riverside, nor does it yet include the John Street contract for Tommy Hilfiger’s house listed at $47,500,000. If you include just those two sales, you’d
Our biggest winners this year compared to last are sales and contracts from $3 million all the way up to $40 million. In all 5 of these high-end price categories, transactions were up by over 100%. By numbers, we saw an increase of 155 more houses sold or under contract at our high-end. The biggest winner for the year was the $3 – 4 million price range where sales were up 132% from 53 sales last year to 123 sales this year. In our highest price range, over $10 million, sales were up 114% from 7 to 15 this year. Now when
Illustrated by Wajih Chaudhry
By Mark Pruner
relationships and a source of meaning beyond ourselves, we can override our human tendency to default to fear — including fear that our partner is somehow at fault for not meeting our every need. Aa r o n a n d W h i t n e y have a wide circle of trustworthy friends and share a meditation practice as part of their faith . They believe in a source of love bigger than themselves. When Aaron lost his job and Whitney developed a serious illness during the same year, they had a “charging station” l a rg e e n o u g h t o p o w e r them up. G re e nwi c h re s i d e n t , Jill Woolworth is author of the book, The Waterwheel, which is available locally at Diane's Books (203-8691515) or info@dianesbooks. com) or at Amazon.
Order breakfast or lunch at the newly opened Café at Greenwich Library. The cafe is a partnership between the Greenwich Library and Abilis and is now open for No-Contact Pick Up. Place an order online at greenwichlibrarycafe.org or call 203-622-7992. Order pick up is outside the Main Library branch in the Baxter Courtyard anytime between 9:00 am to 3:00 pm, Monday through Saturday. Help replenish Neighbor to Neighbor’s food pantry: items most needed are tuna, canned meats , peanut butter, cereal, larger-sized diapers and un-expired infant formula. Drop off locations and times: Tuesday 9am-11am (drive thru) across the street from St. Catherine of Siena Parish on Riverside Avenue or Thursday 10am-12pm (drive thru) located in the parking lot of St. Paul’s Church in Riverside. Join the Pay it Forward Greenwich Facebook Group. This group highlights a variety of drives weekly where Greenwich Residents pay it forward with items they no longer use. Invite one friend to buy a subscription to the Greenwich Sentinel or buy it for them as a gift at www. GreenwichSentinel.com/subscribe Donate Blood Every two seconds someone in the U.S. needs blood. It is essential for surgeries, cancer treatment, chronic illnesses, and traumatic injuries. Visit www.redcross.org to find a drive in Greenwich.
Who Has the Best Hot Chocolate in Greenwich? 21
23
5
22
3
8
23
9
M
N
9
6
26
23
2
10
7
20
7
7
8
2
22
9
21
24
3
13
7 5
23 26
17
25
2
24
9
21
17
13
7
22 24
2
4
1
1
19 5
6
6 6
17
2
24
24
9
20 3
2
22
24
9
2
6
25
2
7 5 7 25
5 15
10
15
2
24
23
23
26
25
15
3
23
8
1
7
14
23
21
23
16
24
10
24
A
18
16
3
5 3
2
20
2
9
9
2
8
24
24 2
20
22
24
16
2
9
6
24
24
13
7
25
2
16 2
24
24 16
8
7
16
7
11 4
7
15
8
17
24
10
13
24
20
7
12
24
17
24
8
8
3
20
2
3
16
24
23
25
7
6
9
7
25
24
2
22
7
17
20
15
2
2
20
1
24
25
17
3
20
Page 13
Puzzles for Kids and Adults
Pages 15 & 16
Astrology for Week of Jan. 10, 2021 on Page 14 Movie Review of The Midnight Sky on Page 14