______________ VALLEY STREAM _____________
CoMMUNitY UPdAtE infections as of Feb. 21
6,501
infections as of Feb. 14 6,314
HERALD
South students write love letters
Village unveils new street sign
officials, activists team up to donate
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FEBRUARY 25 - MARCH 3, 2021
Vol. 32 No. 9
A slow start for local pharmacies Bad weather, logistical hurdles delay vaccine distribution By PEtER BElFioRE
to get on the Valley Stream pharmacy vaccine list, visit valleystreamrx.com. appointments are not guaranteed.
pbelfiore@liherald.com
Courtesy Ulla Kjarval
the wonders you’ll find in your own backyard One-year-old Karitas Farrell took a chilly, snowy stroll with her family through Valley Stream State Park on Sunday.
Valley Streamers reflect on Black culture, racism By NiColE AlCiNdoR nalcindor@liherald.com
With Black History Month winding down, Black Valley Streamers reflected on the significance of Black culture in America and their own experiences with racism. Trisha Brown, 43, said that
in the past she has been told, “We didn’t expect you to be very eloquent in speech,” or that she sounded white, a common racist micro-aggression against Black people. “When white people have assumed that I’m trying to be white just because I use proper grammar, it was racist, because
what does that say about the way all Black people speak?” Brown said. “Even with my past traumatic experiences with racism, I move about freely and comfortably as a Black person in society because Black people have been a source of great creativity and ingenuity Continued on page 15
The first 100 doses of coronavirus vaccine arrived at Valley Stream Pharmacy in the first week of February, and 100 more came the second week, according to owner and manag- though: By Monday, Elcheikh reported that he had received er Azzam Elcheikh. But in the third week, the 100 vaccines for first doses and batch of inoculations — anoth- another 100 for people who had er 100 — that Elcheikh had already been inoculated. He said he expected another shiprequested from ment later in the N ew Yo rk s t at e week to make up never came. Severe for the backlog. winter storms Now comes the across much of the continuing chalMidwest, he said, lenge of schedulsnarled deliveries ing appointments. for much of the Unlike CVS and country, including Walgreens, which his small Rockaare contracted by way Avenue pharthe state and federmacy and medical- MARk PEtER al governments to supplies shop, deal- WEjCHERt distribute vacing a setback to the cines, and began nationwide vacci- Pharmacist, Valley Stream RX Inc. doing so the secnation effort. ond week of Febru“The previous Pharmacy ary, Elcheikh must week I did 100, and request doses the week after I did 100, but I’m still waiting, directly from the state each b e c a u s e t h e y ’ r e d e l ay e d week. He has so far asked for 100 because of the storm,” he said, noting that there was a state- doses a week, which he said was about what he believed wide shortage of the vaccines. It would be only temporary, Continued on page 5
t
hey haven’t figured out how to get it down to us yet.